THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


TYPEE 

A  REAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  SOUTH  SEAS 


FAMOUS  SEA  STORIES 

BY 

HERMAN  MELVILLE 

Each  1  Vol.,  Cloth  Decorative,  Illustrated,  $3.00 

MOBY  DICK 
Or,  "The  White  Whale." 

TYPEE 

A  Real  Romance  of  the  South  Seas. 

OMOO 

A  Narrative  of  Adventure  in  the  South  Seas; 
a  sequel  to  "Typee." 

WHITE  JACKET 
Or,  "The  World  on  a  Man-of-War." 

MARDI 
And  a  Voya&e  Thither. 

REDBURN.     His  First  Voyafee 
Being  the  Sailor  Boy  Confessions  and  Remi 
niscences  of  the  Son-of-a-Gentleman  In  the 
Merchant  Service. 

ISRAEL  POTTER 
His  Fifty  Years  of  Exile. 


L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

53  BEACON  ST.  BOSTON,  MASS. 


It/pee 


A  Real  Romance  of  the  South  Seas 

BY 
HERMAN  MELVILLE 

Author  of  "Ornoo,"  "Moby  Dick,"  "White  Jacket,"  «•. 

With  Biographical  and  Critical  Introduction  by 
ARTHUR  STEDMAN 


L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 
BOSTON 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


Copyright,  1892 
BY  ELIZABETH  S.  MELVILLE 


Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


Twelfth  Impression,  May,  1950 


TO 
LEMUEL  SHAW, 

CHIEF  JUSTICE  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 

THIS  LITTLE  WORK  IS  GRATEFULLY  INSCRIBED 

BY  THE  AUTHOR 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Sea  —  Longings  for  Shore  —  A  Land-sick  Ship  —  Destination 
of  the  Voyagers  —  The  Marquesas  —  Adventure  of  a  Missionary's 
Wife  among  the  Savages  —  Characteristic  Anecdote  of  the  Queen 
of  Nukuheva 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Passage  from  the  Cruising  Ground  to  the  Marquesas  —  Sleepy  Times 
aboard  Ship  —  South  Sea  Scenery  —  Land  ho  !  —  The  French 
Squadron  discovered  at  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Nukuheva  —  Strange 
Pilot  —  Escort  of  Canoes  —  A  Flotilla  of  Cocoa-nuts  —  Swimming 
Visitors.  —  The  Dolly  boarded  by  them  —  State  of  Affairs  that 
ensue  .  ,  .  , 10 


CHAPTER  III. 

Some  Account  of  the  Late  Operations  of  the  French  at  the  Marquesas 
—  Prudent  Conduct  of  the  Admiral  —  Sensation  produced  by  the 
Arrival  of  the  Strangers  —  The  First  Horse  seen  by  the  Islanders  — 
Reflections  —  Miserable  Subterfuge  of  the  French  —  Digression 
concerning  Tahiti  —  Seizure  of  the  Island  by  the  Admiral  — 
Spirited  Conduct  of  an  English  Lady 21 


CHAPTER  IV. 

State  of  Affairs  aboard  the  Ship  —  Contents  of  her  Larder  —  Length 
of  South  Seamen's  Voyages  —  Account  of  a  Flying  Whale-man  — 
Determination  to  leave  the  Vessel  —  The  Bay  of  Nukuheva  —  The 
Typees — Invasion  of  their  Valley  by  Porter  —  Reflections  —  Glen 
of  Tior  —  Interview  between  the  Old  King  and  the  French 

Admiral 27 

V 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  V. 

Thoughts  previous  to  attempting  an  Escape  —  Toby,  a  Fellow  Sailor, 
agrees  to  share  the  Adventure —  Last  Night  aboard  the  Ship  .      42 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  Specimen  of  Nautical  Oratory  —  Criticism  of  the  Sailors  — The 
Starboard  Watch  are  given  a  Holiday — The  Escape  to  the 
Mountains 48 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  other  side  of  the  Mountain  —  Disappointment  —  Inventory  of 
Articles  brought  from  the  Ship  —  Division  of  the  Stock  of  Bread 
—  Appearance  of  the  Interior  of  the    Island  —  A  Discovery  — A 
Ravine    and    Waterfalls  —  A    sleepless    Night — Further    Discov 
eries  —  My  Illness  —  A  Marquesan  Landscape 58 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Important  Question,  Typee  or  Happar?  — A  Wild-Goose  Chase 

—  My  Sufferings  —  Disheartening  Situation  —  A  Night  in  a  Ravine 

—  Morning  Meal  —  Happy  Idea  of  Toby — Journey  towards  the 
Valley 72 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Perilous  Passage  of  the  Ravine  — Descent  into  the  Valley      .    .      83 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Head  of  the  Valley  —  Cautious  Advance  —  A  Path  —  Fruit  —  Dis 
covery  of  Two  of  the  Natives  —  Their  Singular  Conduct  —  Approach 
towards  the  Inhabited  Parts  of  the  Vale  —  Sensation  produced  by 
our  Appearance  —  Reception  at  the  House  of  one  of  the  Natives  94 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Midnight  Reflections — Morning  Visitors — A  Warrior  in  Costume  —  A 
Savage  JEsculapius — Practice  of  the  Healing  Art — Body  Servant — A 
Dwelling-house  of  the  Valley  described — Portraits  of  its  Inmates  109 


CONTENTS  Tft 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Officiousness  of  Kory-Kory  —  His  Devotion  —  A  Bath  in  the  Stream 

—  Want  of  Refinement  of  the  Typee  Damsels  —  Stroll  with  Mehevi 

—  ATypee  Highway  — The  Taboo  Groves  —  The  Hoolah  Hoolah 
Ground  — The  Ti  — Time-worn  Savages  —  Hospitality  of  Mehevi 

—  Midnight  Misgivings  —  Adventure  in  the  Dark  —  Distinguished 
Honours  paid  to  the  Visitors  —  Strange  Procession  and  Return  to 
the  House  of  Marheyo 128 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Attempt  to  procure  Relief  from  Nukuheva  —  Perilous  Adventure  of 
Toby  in  the  Happar  Mountain  —  Eloquence  of  Kory-Kory      .     141 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  great  Event  happens  in  the  Valley  —  The  Island  Telegraph  — 
Something  befalls  Toby  —  Fayaway  displays  a  tender  Heart  — Melan 
choly  Reflections  —  Mysterious  Conduct  of  the  Islanders  —  Devotion 
of  Kory-Kory  —  A  rural  Couch— A  Luxury  —  Kory-Kory  strikes  a 
Light  el  la  Typee 151 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Kindness  of  Marheyo  and  the  rest  of  the  Islanders — A  full  Description 
of  the  Bread-fruit  Tree— Different  Modes  of  preparing  the  Fruit  164 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Melancholy  Condition  —  Occurrence  at  the  Ti — Anecdote  of  Mar 
heyo  —  Shaving  the  Head  of  a  Warrior     171 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Improvement  in  Health  and  Spirits  —  Felicity  of  the  Typees  —  Their 
Enjoyments  compared  with  those  of  more  enlightened  Communi 
ties —  Comparative  Wickedness  of  civilised  and  unenlightened 
People  —  A  Skirmish  in  the  Mountain  with  the  Warriors  of 
Happar •  >  •  179 


Viii  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Swimming  in  company  with  the  Girls  of  the  Valley  —  A  Canoe  —  Ef 
fects  of  the  Taboo  —  A  pleasure  Excursion  on  the  Pond  —  Beautiful 
Freak  of  Fayaway  —  Mantua-making  —  A  Stranger  arrives  in  the 
Valley — His  mysterious  conduct  —  Native  Oratory  —  The  Interview 
—  Its  Results  —  Departure  of  the  Stranger 191 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Reflections  after  Marnoo's  Departure  —  Battle  of  the  Pop-guns  — 
Strange  Conceit  of  Marheyo  —  Process  of  making  Tappa  .  210 

CHAPTER  XX. 

History  of  a  Day  as  usually  spent  in  the  Typee  Valley  —  Dances  of 
the  Marquesan  Girls 219 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Spring  of  Arva  Wai  —  Remarkable  Monumental  Remains  — 
Some  Ideas  with  regard  to  the  History  of  Pi-pis  found  in  the 
Valley 225 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Preparations  for  a  Grand  Festival  in  the  Valley  —  Strange  Doings  in 
the  Taboo  Groves  —  Monument  of  Calabashes  —  Gala  Costume  of 
the  Typee  Damsels  —  Departure  for  the  Festival 231 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
The  Feast  of  Calabashes 239 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Ideas  suggested  by  the  Feast  of  Calabashes  —  Inaccuracy  of  certain 
published  Accounts  of  the  Islands  —  A  Reason  —  Neglected  State  of 
Heathenism  in  the  Valley  —  Effigy  of  a  dead  Warrior  —  A  singular 
Superstition  —  The  Priest  Kolory  and  the  God  Moa  Artua  —  Amaz 
ing  Religious  Observance  —  A  dilapidated  Shrine  —  Kory-Kory  and 
the  Idol  —  An  Inference 248 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

fieneral  Information  gathered  at  the  Festival  —  Personal  Beauty  of 
the  Typees  —  Their  Superiority  over  the  Inhabitants  of  the  other 
Islands  —  Diversity  of  Complexion  —  A  vegetable  Cosmetic  and 
Ointment  —  Testimony  of  Voyagers  to  the  uncommon  Beauty  of 
the  Marquesans  —  Few  Evidences  of  Intercourse  with  civilised 
Beings  —  Dilapidated  Musket  —  Primitive  Simplicity  of  Govern 
ment  —  Regal  Dignity  of  Mehevi  265 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

King  Mehevi  —  Allusion  to  his  Hawaiian  Majesty  —  Conduct  of  Mar- 
heyo  and  Mehevi  in  certain  Delicate  Matters  —  Peculiar  System  of 
Marriage  —  Number  of  Population  —  Uniformity  —  Embalming  — 
Places  of  Sepulchre  —  Funeral  Obsequies  at  Nukuheva  —  Number 
of  Inhabitants  in  Typee  —  Location  of  the  Dwellings  —  Happiness 
enjoyed  in  the  Valley  —  A  Warning  —  Some  Ideas  with  regard  to 
the  Civilisation  of  the  Islands  —  Reference  to  the  Present  State  of 
the  Hawaiians  —  Fashionable  Equipages  at  Oahu  —  Reflections  277 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Social  Conditions  and  general  Character  of  the  Typees  .    .    293 
CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Fishing  Parties  —  Mode  of  distributing  the  Fish — Midnight  Banquet  — 
Timekeeping  Tapers  —  Unceremonious  style  of  eating  the  Fish  302 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Natural  History  of  the  Valley  —  Golden  Lizards  —  Tameness  of  the 
Birds  —  Mosquitos  —  Flies  —  Dogs  —  A  solitary  Cat  —  The  Climate 
—  The  Cocoa-nut  Tree  —  Singular  modes  of  climbing  it  — An  agile 
young  Chief— Fearlessness  of  the  Children  —  Too-Too  and  the 
Cocoa-nut  Tree  — The  Birds  of  the  Valley 307 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

A  Professor  of  the  Fine  Arts —  His  Persecutions  —  Something  about 
TattQQin«  M:d  Tabooing  —  Two  Anecdotes  in  illustration  of  the  lat- 
ier  — A  few  thoughts  on  the  Typee  Dialect 317 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Strange  Custom  of  the  Islanders  —  Their  Chanting,  and  the  Pecul 
iarity  of  their  Voice  —  Rapture  of  the  King  at  first  hearing  a  Song  — 
A  New  Dignity  conferred  on  the  Author  —  Musical  Instruments  in 
the  Valley  —  Admiration  of  the  Savages  at  beholding  a  Pugilistic 
Performance  —  Swimming  Infant  —  Beautiful  Tresses  of  the  Girls  — 
Ointment  for  the  Hair  .  ,  330 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Apprehensions  of  Evil— Frightful  Discovery  —  Some  Remarks  on  Can 
nibalism—Second  Battle  with  the  Happars  —  Savage  Spectacle  — 
Mysterious  Feast  —  Subsequent  Disclosures 337 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

The  Stranger  again  arrives  in  the  Valley  —  Singular  Interview  with 
him  — Attempt  to  Escape  —  Failure  —  Melancholy  Situation  —  Sym 
pathy  of  Marheyo 350 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The  Escape 357 

THE  STORY  OF  TOBY 373 


PREFACE 


MORE  than  three  years  have  elapsed  since  the  occur 
rence  of  the  events  recorded  in  this  volume.  The  in 
terval,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  few  months,  has 
been  chiefly  spent  by  the  author  tossing  about  on  the 
wide  ocean.  Sailors  are  the  only  class  of  men  who 
now-a-days  see  anything  like  stirring  adventure  ;  and 
many  things  which  to  fire-side  people  appear  strange  and 
romantic,  to  them  seem  as  common-place  as  a  jacket  out 
at  elbows.  Yet,  notwithstanding  the  familiarity  of 
sailors  with  all  sorts  of  curious  adventure,  the  incidents 
recorded  in  the  following  pages  have  often  served,  when 
"  spun  as  a  yarn,"  not  only  to  relieve  the  weariness  of 
many  a  night-watch  at  sea,  but  to  excite  the  warmest 
sympathies  of  the  author's  shipmates.  He  has  been, 
therefore,  led  to  think  that  his  story  could  scarcely  fail 
to  interest  those  who  are  less  familiar  than  the  sailor 
with  a  life  of  adventure. 

In  his  account  of  the  singular  and  interesting  people 
among  whom  he  was  thrown,  it  will  be  observed  that  he 
chiefly  treats  of  their  more  obvious  peculiarities ;  and, 
in  describing  their  customs,  refrains  in  most  cases  Crom 
entering  into  explanations  concerning  their  origin  and. 

xi 


xii  PREFACE 

purposes.  As  writers  of  travels  among  barbarous  com 
munities  are  generally  very  diffuse  on  these  subjects,  he 
deems  it  right  to  advert  to  what  may  be  considered  a 
culpable  omission.  No  one  can  be  more  sensible  than 
the  author  of  his  deficiencies  in  this  and  many  other 
respects ;  but  when  the  very  peculiar  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  placed  are  understood,  he  feels  assured 
that  all  these  omissions  will  be  excused. 

In  very  many  published  narratives  no  little  degree  of 
attention  is  bestowed  upon  dates ;  but  as  the  author  lost 
all  knowledge  of  the  days  of  the  week,  during  the 
occurrence  of  the  scenes  herein  related,  he  hopes  that 
the  reader  will  charitably  pass  over  his  shortcomings  in 
this  particular. 

In  the  Polynesian  words  used  in  this  volume,— 
except  in  those  cases  where  the  spelling  has  been  pre 
viously  determined  by  others,  —  that  form  of  orthogra 
phy  has  been  employed,  which  might  be  supposed  most 
easily  to  convey  their  sound  to  a  stranger.  In  several 
works  descriptive  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  many  of 
the  most  beautiful  combinations  of  vocal  sounds  have 
been  altogether  lost  to  the  ear  of  the  reader  by  an  over- 
attention  to  the  ordinary  rules  of  spelling. 

There  are  a  few  passages  in  the  ensuing  chapters 
which  may  be  thought  to  bear  rather  hard  upon  a  rev 
erend  order  of  men,  the  account  of  whose  proceedings 
in  different  quarters  of  the  globe  —  transmitted  to  us 
through  their  own  hands  —  very  generally,  and  often 


PREFACE  xiii 

very  deservedly,  receives  high  commendation.  Such 
passages  will  be  found,  however,  to  be  based  upon 
facts  admitting  of  no  contradiction,  and  which  have 
come  immediately  under  the  writer's  cognizance. 
The  conclusions  deduced  from  these  facts  are  una 
voidable,  and  in  stating  them  the  author  has  been  in 
fluenced  by  no  feeling  of  animosity,  either  to  the 
individuals  themselves,  or  to  that  glorious  cause 
which  has  not  always  been  served  by  the  proceedings 
of  some  of  its  advocates. 

The  great  interest  with  which  the  important  events 
lately  occurring  at  the  Sandwich,  Marquesas,  and  Society 
Islands,  have  been  regarded  in  America  and  England, 
and  indeed  throughout  the  world,  will,  he  trusts,  justify 
a  few  otherwise  unwarrantable  digressions. 

There  are  some  things  related  in  the  narrative  which 
will  be  sure  to  appear  strange,  or  perhaps  entirely  incom 
prehensible,  to  the  reader ;  but  they  cannot  appear  more 
so  to  him  than  they  did  to  the  author  at  the  time.  He 
has  stated  such  matters  just  as  they  occurred,  and  leaves 
every  one  to  form  his  own  opinion  concerning  them ; 
trusting  that  his  anxious  desire  to  speak  the  unvarnished 
truth  will  gain  for  him  the  confidence  of  his  readers. 

1846. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EDITION  OF  1892. 


BY  ARTHUR  STEDMAN. 


OF  the  trinity  of  American  authors  whose  births  made 
the  year  1819  a  notable  one  in  our  literary  history,  — Lowell, 
Whitman,  and  Melville,  —  it  is  interesting  to  observe  that 
the  two  latter  were  both  descended,  on  the  fathers'  and 
mothers'  sides  respectively,  from  families  of  British  New 
England  and  Dutch  New  York  extraction.  Whitman  and 
Van  Velsor,  Melville  and  Gansevoort,  were  the  several 
combinations  which  produced  these  men;  and  it  is  easy  to 
trace  in  the  life  and  character  of  each  author  the  qualities 
derived  from  his  joint  ancestry.  Here,  however,  the  re 
semblance  ceases,  for  Whitman's  forebears,  while  worthy- 
country  people  of  good  descent,  were  not  prominent  in 
public  or  private  life.  Melville,  on  the  other  hand,  was  of 
distinctly  patrician  birth,  his  paternal  and  maternal  grand 
fathers  having  been  leading  characters  in  the  Revolutionary 
War ;  their  descendants  still  maintaining  a  dignified  social 
position. 

Allan  Melville,  great-grandfather  of  Herman  Melville, 
removed  from  Scotland  to  America  in  1748,  and  established 
himself  as  a  merchant  in  Boston.  His  son,  Major  Thomas 
Melville,  was  a  leader  in  the  famous  Boston  "  Tea  Party  " 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

of  1773,  and  afterwards  became  an  officer  in  the  Continen 
tal  Army.  He  is  reported  to  have  been  a  Conservative  in 
all  matters  except  his  opposition  to  unjust  taxation,  and 
he  wore  the  old-fashioned  cocked  hat  and  knee-breeches 
until  his  death,  in  1832,  thus  becoming  the  original  of 
Doctor  Holmes's  poem,  "  The  Last  Leaf."  Major  Melville's 
son  Allan,  the  father  of  Herman,  was  an  importing  mer 
chant,  —  first  in  Boston,  and  later  in  New  York.  He  was 
a  man  of  much  culture,  and  was  an  extensive  traveller  for 
his  time.  He  married  Maria  Gansevoort,  daughter  of 
General  Peter  Gansevoort,  best  known  as  "  the  hero  of  Fort 
Stanwix."  This  fort  was  situated  on  the  present  site  of 
Home,  N.Y. ;  and  there  Gansevoort,  with  a  small  body  of 
men,  held  in  check  reinforcements  on  their  way  to  join 
Burgoyne,  until  the  disastrous  ending  of  the  latter's  cam 
paign  of  1777  was  insured.  The  Gansevoorts,  it  should  be 
said,  were  at  that  time  and  subsequently  residents  of 
Albany,  N.Y. 

Herman  Melville  was  born  in  New  York  on  August  1, 
1819,  and  received  his  early  education  in  that  city.  There 
he  imbibed  his  first  love  of  adventure,  listening,  as  he  says 
in  "Kedburn,"  while  his  father  "of  winter  evenings,  by 
the  well-remembered  sea-coal  fire  in  old  Greenwich  Street, 
used  to  tell  my  brother  and  me  of  the  monstrous  waves  at 
sea,  mountain  high,  of  the  masts  bending  like  twigs,  and 
all  about  Havre  and  Liverpool."  The  death  of  his  father 
in  reduced  circumstances  necessitated  the  removal  of  his 
mother  and  the  family  of  eight  brothers  and  sisters  to  the 
village  of  Lansingburg,  on  the  Hudson  Biver.  There 
Herman  remained  until  1835,  when  he  attended  the  Albany 


INTRODUCTION  XVll 

Classical  School  for  some  months.  Dr.  Charles  E.  West, 
the  well-known  Brooklyn  educator,  was  then  in  charge  of 
the  school,  and  remembers  the  lad's  deftness  in  English 
composition,  and  his  struggles  with  mathematics. 

The  following  year  was  passed  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where 
he  engaged  in  work  on  his  uncle's  farm,  long  known  as  the 
"Van  Schaack  place."  This  uncle  was  Thomas  Melville, 
president  of  the  Berkshire  Agricultural  Society,  and  a  suc 
cessful  gentleman  farmer. 

Herman's  roving  disposition,  and  a  desire  to  support 
himself  independently  of  family  assistance,  soon  led  him 
to  ship  as  cabin  boy  in  a  New  York  vessel  bound  for 
Liverpool.  He  made  the  voyage,  visited  London,  and 
returned  in  the  same  ship.  "  Redburn  :  His  First  Voy 
age,"  published  in  1849,  is  partly  founded  on  the  experiences 
of  this  trip,  which  was  undertaken  with  the  full  consent 
of  his  relatives,  and  which  seems  to  have  satisfied  his 
nautical  ambition  for  a  time.  As  told  in  the  book,  Mel 
ville  met  with  more  than  the  usual  hardships  of  a  sailor- 
boy's  first  venture.  It  does  not  seem  difficult  in  "Red- 
burn"  to  separate  the  author's  actual  experiences  from 
those  invented  by  him,  this  being  the  case  in  some  of  his 
other  writings. 

A  good  part  of  the  succeeding  three  years,  from  1837  to 
1840,  was  occupied  with  school-teaching.  While  so  en 
gaged  at  Greenbush,  now  East  Albany,  N.Y.,  he  received 
the  munificent  salary  of  "  six  dollars  a  quarter  and  board." 
He  taught  for  one  term  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  "boarding 
around"  with  the  families  of  his  pupils,  in  true  American 
fashion,  and  easily  suppressing,  on  one  memorable  occa- 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

sion,  the  efforts  of  his  larger  scholars  to  inaugurate   a 
rebellion. by  physical  force. 

I  have  a  fancy  that  it  was  the  reading  of  Kichard  Henry 
Dana's  "Two  Years  Before  the  Mast "  which  revived  the 
spirit  of  adventure  in  Melville's  breast.  That  book  was 
published  in  1840,  and  was  at  once  talked  of  everywhere. 
Melville  must  have  read  it  at  the  time,  mindful  of  his  own 
experience  as  a  sailor.  At  any  rate,  he  once  more  signed  a 
ship's  articles,  and  on  January  1,  1841,  sailed  from  New 
Bedford  harbour  in  the  whaler  Acushnet,  bound  for  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  the  sperm  fishery.  He  has  left  very  little 
direct  information  as  to  the  events  of  this  eighteen  months' 
cruise,  although  his  whaling  romance,  "Moby  Dick  ;  or,  the 
Whale,"  probably  gives  many  pictures  of  life  on  board  the 
Acushnet.  In  the  present  volume  he  confines  himself  to 
a  general  account  of  the  captain's  bad  treatment  of  the 
crew,  and  of  his  non-fulfilment  of  agreements.  Under 
these  considerations,  Melville  decided  to  abandon  the  vessel 
on  reaching  the  Marquesas  Islands ;  and  the  narrative  of 
"  Typee  "  begins  at  this  point.  However,  he  always  recog 
nised  the  immense  influence  the  voyage  had  had  upon  his 
career,  and  in  regard  to  its  results  has  said  in  "  Moby 
Dick,"— • 

"  If  I  shall  ever  deserve  any  real  repute  in  that  small  but  high 
hushed  world  which  I  might  not  be  unreasonably  ambitious  of  ;  if 
hereafter  I  shall  do  anything  that  on  the  whole  a  man  might  rather 
have  done  than  to  have  left  undone,  .  .  .  then  here  1  prospectively 
ascribe  all  the  honour  and  the  glory  to  whaling  ;  for  a  whale-ship  was 
my  Yale  College  and  my  Harvard." 


INTRODUCTION 

The  record,  then,  of  Melville's  escape  from  the  Dolly; 
otherwise  the  Acushnet,  the  sojourn  of  his  companion 
Toby  and  himself  in  the  Typee  Valley  on  the  island  of 
Nukuheva,  Toby's  mysterious  disappearance,  and  Melville's 
own  escape,  is  fully  given  in  the  succeeding  pages ;  and 
rash  indeed  would  he  be  who  would  enter  into  a  descrip 
tive  contest  with  these  inimitable  pictures  of  aboriginal 
life  in  the  "Happy  Valley."  So  great  an  interest  has 
always  centred  in  the  character  of  Toby,  whose  actual  ex 
istence  has  been  questioned,  that  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to 
declare  him  an  authentic  personage,  by  name  Richard  T. 
Greene.  He  was  enabled  to  discover  himself  again  to  Mr. 
Melville  through  the  publication  of  the  present  volume,  and 
their  acquaintance  was  renewed,  lasting  for  quite  a  long 
period.  I  have  seen  his  portrait,  —  a  rare  old  daguerro- 
type,  —  and  some  of  his  letters  to  our  author.  One  of  his 
children  was  named  for  the  latter,  but  Mr.  Melville  lost 
trace  of  him  in  recent  years. 

With  the  author's  rescue  from  what  Dr.  T.  M.  Coan  has 
styled  his  "anxious  paradise,"  "Typee"  ends,  and  its 
sequel,  "  Omoo,"  begins.  Here,  again,  it  seems  wisest  to 
leave  the  remaining  adventures  in  the  South  Seas  to  the 
reader's  own  discovery,  simply  stating  that,  after  a  sojourn 
at  the  Society  Islands,  Melville  shipped  for  Honolulu. 
There  he  remained  for  four  months,  employed  as  a  clerk. 
He  joined  the  crew  of  the  American  frigate  United 
States,  which  reached  Boston,  stopping  on  the  way  at  one 
of  the  Peruvian  ports,  in  October  of  1844.  Once  more  was 
a  narrative  of  his  experiences  to  be  preserved  in  "  White- 
Jacket  ;  or,  the  World  in  a  Man-of-War." 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

Thus,  of  Melville's  four  most  important  books,  three, 
"Typee,"  "Omoo,"  and  "  White-Jacket,"  are  directly  auto 
biographical,  and  "  Moby  Dick  "  is  partially  so ;  while  the 
less  important  "  Redburn "  is  between  the  two  classes  in 
this  respect.  Melville's  other  prose  works,  as  will  be 
shown,  were,  with  some  exceptions,  unsuccessful  efforts  at 
creative  romance. 

Whether  our  author  entered  on  his  whaling  adventures 
in  the  South  Seas  with  a  determination  to  make  them 
available  for  literary  purposes,  may  never  be  certainly 
known.  There  was  no  such  elaborate  announcement  or 
advance  preparation  as  in  some  later  cases.  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  the  literary  prospect  was  an  after-thought, 
and  that  this  insured  a  freshness  and  enthusiasm  of  style 
not  otherwise  to  be  attaiDed.  Returning  to  his  mother's 
home  at  Lansingburg,  Melville  soon  began  the  writing  of 
"  Typee,"  which  was  completed  by  the  autumn  of  1845. 
Shortly  after  this  his  older  brother,  Gansevoort  Melville, 
sailed  for  England  as  secretary  of  legation  to  Ambassador 
McLane,  and  the  manuscript  was  intrusted  to  Gansevoort 
for  submission  to  John  Murray.  Its  immediate  acceptance 
and  publication  followed  in  1846.  "  Typee  "  was  dedicated 
to  Chief  Justice  Lemuel  Shaw  of  Massachusetts,  an  old 
friendship  between  the  author's  family  and  that  of  Justice 
Shaw  having  been  renewed  about  this  time.  Mr.  Melville 
became  engaged  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Shaw,  the  only  daughter 
of  the  Chief  Justice,  and  their  marriage  followed  on  Au 
gust  4,  1847,  at  Boston. 

The  wanderings  of  our  nautical  Othello  were  thus  brought 
to  a  conclusion.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melville  resided  in  New 


INTRODUCTION  XXI 

York  City  until  1850,  when  they  purchased  a  farmhouse 
at  Pittsfield,  their  farm  adjoining  that  formerly  owned  by 
Mr.  Melville's  uncle,  which  had  been  inherited  by  the 
latter's  son.  The  new  place  was  named  "Arrow  Head," 
from  the  numerous  Indian  antiquities  found  in  the  neigh 
bourhood.  The  house  was  so  situated  as  to  command  an 
uninterrupted  view  of  Greylock  Mountain  and  the  adjacent 
hills.  Here  Melville  remained  for  thirteen  years,  occupied 
with  his  writing,  and  managing  his  farm.  An  article  in 
Putnam's  Monthly  entitled  "I  and  My  Chimney,"  another 
called  "October  Mountain,"  and  the  introduction  to  the 
"Piazza  Tales,"  present  faithful  pictures  of  Arrow  Head 
and  its  surroundings.  In  a  letter  to  Nathaniel  Hawthorne, 
given  in  "Nathaniel  Hawthorne  and  His  Wife,"  his  daily 
life  is  set  forth.  The  letter  is  dated  June  1,  1851. 

"  Since  you  have  been  here  I  have  been  building  some  shanties 
of  houses  (connected  with  the  old  one),  and  likewise  some  shanties  of 
chapters  and  essays.  I  have  been  ploughing  and  sowing  and  raising 
and  printing  and  praying,  and  now  begin  to  come  out  upon  a  less 
bristling  time,  and  to  enjoy  the  calm,  prospect  of  things  from  a  fair 
piazza  at  the  north  of  the  old  farmhouse  here.  Not  entirely  yet, 
though,  am  I  without  something  to  be  urgent  with.  The  '  Whale '  is 
only  half  through  the  press ;  for,  wearied  with  the  long  delays  of  the 
printers,  and  disgusted  with  the  heat  and  dust  of  the  Babylonish 
brick-kiln  of  New  York,  I  came  back  to  the  country  to  feel  the  grass, 
and  end  the  book  reclining  on  it,  if  I  may." 

Mr.  Hawthorne,  who  was  then  living  in  the  "red 
cottage  "  at  Lenox,  had  passed  a  week  at  Arrow  Head  with 
his  daughter  Una  the  previous  spring.  It  is  recorded  that 
the  friends  "  spent  most  of  the  time  in  the  barn,  bathing 
in  the  early  spring  sunshine,  which  streamed  through  the 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

open  doors,  and  talking  philosophy."  According  to  Mr.  J, 
E.  A.  Smith's  volume  on  the  Berkshire  Hills,  these  gentle 
men,  both  reserved  in  nature,  though  near  neighbours  and 
often  in  the  same  company,  were  inclined  to  be  shy  of  each 
other,  partly,  perhaps,  through  the  knowledge  that  Melville 
had  written  a  very  appreciative  review  of  "  Mosses  from  an 
Old  Manse  "  for  the  New  York  Literary  World,  edited  by 
their  mutual  friends,  the  Duyckincks.  "But  one  day," 
writes  Mr.  Smith,  "  it  chanced  that  when  they  were  out  on 
a  picnic  excursion,  the  two  were  compelled  by  a  thunder- 
shower  to  take  shelter  in  a  narrow  recess  of  the  rocks  of 
Monument  Mountain.  Two  hours  of  this  enforced  inter 
course  settled  the  matter.  They  learned  so  much  of  each 
other's  character,  .  .  .  that  the  most  intimate  friendship  for 
the  future  was  inevitable."  A  passage  in  Hawthorne's 
"Wonder  Book"  is  noteworthy  as  describing  the  number 
of  literary  neighbours  in  Berkshire  :  — 

"  For  my  part,  I  wish  I  had  Pegasus  here  at  this  moment," 
said  the  student.  "  I  would  mount  him  forthwith,  and 
gallop  about  the  country  within  a  circumference  of  a  few 
miles,  making  literary  calls  on  my  brother  authors.  Dr. 
Dewey  would  be  within  my  reach,  at  the  foot  of  the  Ta- 
conic.  In  Stockbridge,  yonder,  is  Mr.  James  [G.  P.  B. 
James],  conspicuous  to  all  the  world  on  his  mountain-pile 
of  history  and  romance.  Longfellow,  I  believe,  is  not  yet 
at  the  Oxbow,  else  the  winged  horse  would  neigh  at  him. 
But  here  in  Lenox  I  should  find  our  most  truthful  novelist 
[Miss  Sedgwick],  who  has  made  the  scenery  and  life  of 
Berkshire  all  her  own.  On  the  hither  side  of  Pittsfield 
sits  Herman  Melville,  shaping  out  the  gigantic  conception 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

of  his  '  White  Whale/  while  the  gigantic  shadow  of  Grey- 
lock  looms  upon  him  from  his  study  window.  Another 
bound  of  my  flying  steed  would  bring  me  to  the  door  of 
Holmes,  whom  I  mention  last,  because  Pegasus  would 
certainly  unseat  me  the  next  minute,  and  claim  the  poet  as 
his  rider." 

While  at  Pittsfield,  Mr.  Melville  was  induced  to  enter 
the  lecture  field.  From  1857  to  1860  he  filled  many  engage 
ments  in  the  lyceums,  chiefly  speaking  of  his  adventures 
in  the  South  Seas.  He  lectured  in  cities  as  widely  apart 
as  Montreal,  Chicago,  Baltimore,  and  San  Francisco,  sailing 
to  the  last-named  place  in  1860,  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  on 
the  Meteor,  commanded  by  his  younger  brother,  Captain 
Thomas  Melville,  afterward  governor  of  the  "Sailor's 
Snug  Harbor  "  at  Staten  Island,  N. Y.  Besides  his  voyage 
to  San  Francisco,  he  had,  in  1849  and  1856,  visited  England, 
the  Continent,  and  the  Holy  Land,  partly  to  superintend 
the  publication  of  English  editions  of  his  works,  and  partly 
for  recreation. 

A  pronounced  feature  of  Melville's  character  was  his 
unwillingness  to  speak  of  himself,  his  adventures,  or  his 
writings  in  conversation.  He  was,  however,  able  to  over 
come  this  reluctance  on  the  lecture  platform.  Our  author's 
tendency  to  philosophical  discussion  is  strikingly  set 
forth  in  a  letter  from  Dr.  Titus  Munson  Coan  to  the 
latter's  mother,  written  while  a  student  at  Williams  Col 
lege  over  thirty  years  ago,  and  fortunately  preserved  by 
her.  Dr.  Coan  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  confidence  of 
Mr.  Melville  during  most  of  his  residence  in  New  York. 
The  letter  reads  :  — 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

"  I  have  made  my  first  literary  pilgrimage,  —  a  call  upon  Herman 
Melville,  the  renowned  author  of '  Typee,'  etc.  He  lives  in  a  spacious 
farmhouse  about  two  miles  from  Pittsfield,  a  weary  walk  through  the 
dust.  But  it  was  well  repaid.  I  introduced  myself  as  a  Hawaiian- 
American,  and  soon  found  myself  in  full  tide  of  talk,  or  rather  of 
monologue.  But  he  would  not  repeat  the  experiences  of  which  I  had 
been  reading  with  rapture  in  his  books.  In  vain  I  sought  to  hear  of 
Typee  and  those  paradise  islands,  but  he  preferred  to  pour  forth  his 
philosophy  and  his  theories  of  life.  The  shade  of  Aristotle  arose  like  a 
cold  mist  between  myself  and  Fayaway.  We  have  quite  enough  of  deep 
philosophy  at  Williams  College,  and  I  confess  I  was  disappointed  in 
this  trend  of  the  talk.  But  what  a  talk  it  was !  Melville  is  transformed 
from  a  Marquesan  to  a  gypsy  student,  the  gypsy  element  still  remain 
ing  strong  within  him.  And  this  contradiction  gives  him  the  air  of 
one  who  has  suffered  from  opposition,  both  literary  and  social.  With 
his  liberal  views,  he  is  apparently  considered  by  the  good  people  of 
Pittsfield  as  little  better  than  a  cannibal  or  a  '  beach-comber.'  His 
attitude  seemed  to  me  something  like  that  of  Ishmael;  but  perhaps  I 
judged  hastily.  I  managed  to  draw  him  out  very  freely  on  everything 
but  the  Marquesas  Islands,  and  when  I  left  him  he  was  in  full  tide  of 
discourse  on  all  things  sacred  arid  profane.  But  he  seems  to  put  away 
the  objective  side  of  his  life,  and  to  shut  himself  up  in  this  cold  north 
as  a  cloistered  thinker." 

I  have  been  told  by  Dr.  Coan  that  his  father,  the  Rev. 
Titus  Coan,  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  personally  visited  the 
Marquesas  group,  found  the  Typee  Valley,  and  verified  in 
all  respects  the  statements  made  in  "  Typee."  It  is  known 
that  Mr.  Melville  from  early  manhood  indulged  deeply  in 
philosophical  studies,  and  his  fondness  for  discussing  such 
matters  is  pointed  out  by  Hawthorne  also,  in  the  "  English 
Note  Books."  This  habit  increased  as  he  advanced  in 
years,  if  possible. 

The  chief  event  of  the  residence  in  Pittsfield  was  the 
completion  and  publication  of  "  Moby  Dick ;  or,  the  Whale," 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

in  1851.  How  many  young  men  have  been  drawn  to  sea 
by  this  book  is  a  question  of  interest.  Meeting  with  Mr. 
Charles  Henry  Webb  ("John  Paul")  the  day  after  Mr. 
Melville's  death,  I  asked  him  if  he  were  not  familiar  with 
that  author's  writings.  He  replied  that  "Moby  Dick" 
was  responsible  for  his  three  years  of  life  before  the  mast 
when  a  lad,  and  added  that  while  "  gamming  "  on  board 
another  vessel  he  had  once  fallen  in  with  a  member  of  the 
boat's  crew  which  rescued  Melville  from  his  friendly  im 
prisonment  among  the  Typees. 

While  at  Pittsfield,  besides  his  own  family,  Mr.  Mel 
ville's  mother  and  sisters  resided  with  him.  As  his  four 
children  grew  up  he  found  it  necessary  to  obtain  for  them 
better  facilities  for  study  than  the  village  school  afforded ; 
and  so,  several  years  after,  the  household  was  broken 
up,  and  he  removed  with  his  wife  and  children  to  the 
New  York  house  that  was  afterwards  his  home.  This 
house  belonged  to  his  brother  Allan,  and  was  exchanged 
for  the  estate  at  Pittsfield.  In  December,  1866,  he  was 
appointed  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Smyth,  a  former  travelling  com 
panion  in  Europe,  a  district  officer  in  the  New  York  Cus 
tom  House.  He  held  the  position  until  1886,  preferring 
it  to  in-door  clerical  work,  and  then  resigned,  the  duties 
becoming  too  arduous  for  his  failing  strength. 

In  addition  to  his  philosophical  studies,  Mr.  Melville 
was  much  interested  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  fine  arts, 
and  devoted  most  of  his  leisure  hours  to  the  two  subjects. 
A  notable  collection  of  etchings  and  engravings  from  the 
old  masters  was  gradually  made  by  him,  those  from  Claude's 
paintings  being  a  specialty.  After  he  retired  from  the 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

Custom  House,  his  tall,  stalwart  figure  could  be  seen  al 
most  daily  tramping  through  the  Fort  George  district  or 
Central  Park,  his  roving  inclination  leading  him  to  obtain 
as  much  out-door  life  as  possible.  His  evenings  were 
spent  at  home  with  his  books,  his  pictures,  and  his  family, 
and  usually  with  them  alone ;  for,  in  spite  of  the  melo 
dramatic  declarations  of  various  English  gentlemen,  Mel 
ville's  seclusion  in  his  latter  years,  and  in  fact  throughout 
his  life,  was  a  matter  of  personal  choice.  More  and  more, 
as  he  grew  older,  he  avoided  every  action  on  his  part,  and 
on  the  part  of  his  family,  that  might  tend  to  keep  his  name 
and  writings  before  the  public.  A  few  friends  felt  at  lib 
erty  to  visit  the  recluse,  and  were  kindly  welcomed,  but  he 
himself  sought  no  one.  His  favorite  companions  were  his 
grandchildren,  with  whom  he  delighted  to  pass  his  time, 
and  his  devoted  wife,  who  was  a  constant  assistant  and 
adviser  in  his  literary  work,  chiefly  done  at  this  period  for 
his  own  amusement.  To  her  he  addressed  his  last  little 
poem,  the  touching  "  Eeturn  of  the  Sire  de  Nesle."  Various 
efforts  were  made  by  the  New  York  literary  colony  to  draw 
him  from  his  retirement,  but  without  success.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  he  might  have  accepted  a  magazine  editor 
ship,  but  this  is  doubtful,  as  he  could  not  bear  business 
details  or  routine  work  of  any  sort.  His  brother  Allan 
was  a  New  York  lawyer,  and  until  his  death,  in  1872,  man 
aged  Melville's  affairs  with  ability,  particularly  the  literary 
accounts. 

During  these  later  years  he  took  great  pleasure  in  a 
friendly  correspondence  with  Mr.  W.  Clark  Kussell.  Mr. 
Russell  had  taken  many  occasions  to  mention  Melville's 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

sea-tales,  his  interest  in  them,  and  his  indebtedness  to 
them.  The  latter  felt  impelled  to  write  Mr.  Russell  in 
regard  to  one  of  his  newly  published  novels,  and  received 
in  answer  the  following  letter :  — 

JULY  21,  1886. 

MY  DEAR  MB.  MELVILLE,  — Your  letter  has  given  me  a  very  great 
and  singular  pleasure.  Your  delightful  hooks  carry  the  imagination 
into  a  maritime  period  so  remote  that,  often  as  you  have  been  in  my 
mind,  I  could  never  satisfy  myself  that  you  were  still  amongst  the  liv 
ing.  I  am  glad,  indeed,  to  learn  from  Mr.  Toft  that  you  are  still 
hale  and  hearty,  and  I  do  most  heartily  wish  you  many  years  yet  of 
health  and  vigour. 

Your  books  I  have  in  the  American  edition.  I  have  "Typee," 
"Omoo,"  "Redburn,"  and  that  noble  piece  "Moby  Dick."  These 
are  all  I  have  been  able  to  obtain.  There  have  been  many  editions  of 
your  works  in  this  country,  particularly  the  lovely  South  Sea  sketches  ; 
but  the  editions  are  not  equal  to  those  of  the  American  publishers. 
Your  reputation  here  is  very  great.  It  is  hard  to  meet  a  man  whose 
opinion  as  a  reader  is  worth  having  who  does  not  speak  of  your  works 
in  such  terms  as  he  might  hesitate  to  employ,  with  all  his  patriotism, 
toward  many  renowned  English  writers. 

Dana  is,  indeed,  great.  There  is  nothing  in  literature  more  remark 
able  than  the  impression  produced  by  Dana's  portraiture  of  the 
homely  inner  life  of  a  little  brig's  forecastle. 

I  beg  that  you  will  accept  my  thanks  for  the  kindly  spirit  in  which 
you  have  read  my  books.  I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  cross  the 
Atlantic,  for  you  assuredly  would  be  the  first  whom  it  would  be  my 
happiness  to  visit. 

The  condition  of  my  right  hand  obliges  me  to  dictate  this  to  my 
son  ;  but  painful  as  it  is  to  me  to  hold  a  pen,  I  cannot  suffer  this 
letter  to  reach  the  hands  of  a  man  of  so  admirable  genius  as  Herman 
Melville  without  begging  him  to  believe  me  to  be,  with  my  own  hand, 

his  most  respectful  and  hearty  admirer, 

W.  CLARK  RUSSELL. 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  Melville's  increased  reputa 
tion  in  England  at  the  period  of  this  letter  was  chiefly 


XXViii  INTRODUCTION 

owing  to  a  series  of  articles  on  his  work  written  by  MR. 
Russell.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  few  English  papers  made 
more  than  a  passing  reference  to  Melville's  death.  The 
American  press  discussed  his  life  and  work  in  numerous 
and  lengthy  reviews.  At  the  same  time,  there  always  has 
been  a  steady  sale  of  his  books  in  England,  and  some  of 
them  never  have  been  out  of  print  in  that  country  since  the 
publication  of  "  Typee."  One  result  of  this  friendship  be 
tween  the  two  authors  was  the  dedication  of  new  volumes 
to  each  other  in  highly  complimentary  terms  —  Mr.  Mel 
ville's  "  John  Marr  and  Other  Sailors,"  of  which  twenty- 
five  copies  only  were  printed,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Mr. 
Russell's  "An  Ocean  Tragedy,"  on  the  other,  of  which 
many  thousand  have  been  printed,  not  to  mention  unnum 
bered  pirated  copies. 

Beside  Hawthorne,  Mr.  Eichard  Henry  Stoddard,  of 
American  writers,  specially  knew  and  appreciated  Herman 
Melville.  Mr.  Stoddard  was  connected  with  the  New 
York  dock  department  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Melville's  ap 
pointment  to  a  custom-house  position,  and  they  at  once 
became  acquainted.  For  a  good  many  years,  during  the 
period  in  which  our  author  remained  in  seclusion,  much 
that  appeared  in  print  in  America  concerning  Melville  came 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Stoddard.  Nevertheless,  the  sailor- 
author's  presence  in  New  York  was  well  known  to  the 
literary  guild.  He  was  invited  to  join  in  all  new  move 
ments,  but  as  often  felt  obliged  to  excuse  himself  from 
doing  so.  The  present  writer  lived  for  some  time  within 
a  short  distance  of  his  house,  but  found  no  opportunity  to 
meet  him  until  it  became  necessary  to  obtain  his  Dortrait 


INTRODUCTION 

for  an  anthology  in  course  of  publication.  The  interview 
was  brief,  and  the  interviewer  could  not  help  feeling, 
although  treated  with  pleasant  courtesy,  that  more  impor 
tant  matters  were  in  hand  than  the  perpetuation  of  a 
romancer's  countenance  to  future  generations ;  but  a 
friendly  family  acquaintance  grew  up  from  the  incident, 
and  will  remain  an  abiding  memory. 

Mr.  Melville  died  at  his  home  in  New  York  City  early 
on  the  morning  of  September  28,  1891.  His  serious  ill 
ness  had  lasted  a  number  of  months,  so  that  the  end 
came  as  a  release.  True  to  his  ruling  passion,  philosophy 
had  claimed  him  to  the  last,  a  set  of  Schopenhauer's  works 
receiving  his  attention  when  able  to  study ;  but  this  was 
varied  with  readings  in  the  "  Mermaid  Series  "  of  old  plays, 
in  which  he  took  much  pleasure.  His  library,  in  addition 
to  numerous  works  on  philosophy  and  the  fine  arts,  was 
composed  of  standard  books  of  all  classes,  including,  of 
course,  a  proportion  of  nautical  literature.  Especially  in 
teresting  are  fifteen  or  twenty  first  editions  of  Hawthorne's 
books  inscribed  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melville  by  the  author 
and  his  wife. 

The  immediate  acceptance  of  "  Typee  "  by  John  Murray 
was  followed  by  an  arrangement  with  the  London  agent  of 
an  American  publisher,  for  its  simultaneous  publication  in 
the  United  States.  I  understand  that  Murray  did  not 
then  publish  fiction.  At  any  rate,  the  book  was  accepted 
by  him  on  the  assurance  of  Gansevoort  Melville  that  it 
contained  nothing  not  actually  experienced  by  his  brother. 
Murray  brought  it  out  early  in  1846,  in  his  "  Colonial  and 


xxx  INTRODUCTION 

Home  Library,"  as  "  A  Narrative  of  a  Four  Months'  Resi 
dence  among  the  Natives  of  a  Valley  of  the  Marquesaa 
Islands ;  or,  a  Peep  at  Polynesian  Life,"  or,  more  briefly, 
"  Melville's  Marquesas  Islands."  It  was  issued  in  America 
with  the  author's  own  title,  "Typee,"  and  in  the  outward 
shape  of  a  work  of  fiction.  Mr.  Melville  found  himself 
famous  at  once.  Many  discussions  were  carried  on  as  to 
the  genuineness  of  the  author's  name  and  the  reality  of  the 
events  portrayed,  but  English  and  American  critics  alike 
recognised  the  book's  importance  as  a  contribution  to 
literature. 

Melville,  in  a  letter  to  Hawthorne,  speaks  of  himself  as 
having  "  no  development  at  all "  until  his  twenty-fifth 
year,  the  time  of  his  return  from  the  Pacific ;  but  surely 
the  process  of  development  must  have  been  well  advanced 
to  permit  of  so  virile  and  artistic  a  creation  as  "  Typee." 
While  the  narrative  does  not  always  run  smoothly,  yet 
the  style  for  the  most  part  is  graceful  and  alluring,  so  that 
we  pass  from  one  scene  of  Pacific  enchantment  to  another 
quite  oblivious  of  the  vast  amount  of  descriptive  detail 
which  is  being  poured  out  upon  us.  It  is  the  varying 
fortune  of  the  hero  which  engrosses  our  attention.  We 
follow  his  adventures  with  breathless  interest,  or  luxuriate 
with  him  in  the  leafy  bowers  of  the  "Happy  Valley," 
surrounded  by  joyous  children  of  nature.  When  all  is 
ended,  we  then  for  the  first  time  realise  that  we  know 
these  people  and  their  ways  as  if  we  too  had  dwelt  among 
them. 

I  do  not  believe  that  "  Typee "  will  erer  lose  ita  posi 
tion  as  a  classic  of  American  Literature.  The  pioneer  in 


INTRODUCTION 

South  Sea  romance  —  for  the  mechanical  descriptions  of 
earlier  voyagers  are  not  worthy  of  comparison  —  this  book 
has  as  yet  met  with  no  superior,  even  in  French  literature ; 
nor  has  it  met  with  a  rival  in  any  other  language  than  the 
French.  The  character  of  "  Fayaway,"  and,  no  less,  Wil 
liam  S.  Mayo's  "Kaloolah,"  the  enchanting  dreams  of 
many  a  youthful  heart,  will  retain  their  charm ;  and  this 
in  spite  of  endless  variations  by  modern  explorers  in  the 
same  domain.  A  faint  type  of  both  characters  may  be 
found  in  the  Surinam  "  Yarico  "  of  Captain  John  Gabriel 
Stedman,  whose  "  Narrative  of  a  Five  Years'  Expedition  " 
appeared  in  1796. 

"  Typee,"  as  written,  contained  passages  reflecting  with 
considerable  severity  on  the  methods  pursued  by  mission 
aries  in  the  South  Seas.  The  manuscript  was  printed  in  a 
complete  form  in  England,  and  created  much  discussion  on 
this  account,  Melville  being  accused  of  bitterness ;  but  he 
asserted  his  lack  of  prejudice.  The  passages  referred  to 
were  omitted  in  the  first  and  all  subsequent  American 
editions.  They  have  been  restored  in  the  present  issue, 
which  is  complete  save  for  a  few  paragraphs  excluded  by 
written  direction  of  the  author.  I  have,  with  the  consent 
of  his  family,  changed  the  long  and  cumbersome  sub-title 
of  the  book,  calling  it  a  "Real-Romance  of  the  South 
Seas,"  as  best  expressing  its  nature. 

The  success  of  his  first  volume  encouraged  Melville  to 
proceed  in  his  work,  and  "  Omoo,"  the  sequel  to  "  Typee," 
appeared  in  England  and  America  in  1847.  Here  we  leave, 
for  the  most  part,  the  dreamy  pictures  of  island  life,  and 
find  ourselves  sharing  th«  extremely  realistic  discomforts 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

of  a  Sydney  whaler  in  the  early  forties.  The  rebellious 
crew's  experiences  in  the  Society  Islands  are  quite  as  real 
istic  as  events  on  board  ship  and  very  entertaining,  while 
the  whimsical  character,  Dr.  Long  Ghost,  next  to  Captain 
Ahab  in  "  Moby  Dick,"  is  Melville's  most  striking  delinea 
tion.  The  errors  of  the  South  Sea  missions  are  pointed 
out  with  even  more  force  than  in  "  Typee,"  and  it  is  a  fact 
that  both  these  books  have  ever  since  been  of  the  greatest 
value  to  outgoing  missionaries  on  account  of  the  exact  in 
formation  contained  in  them  with  respect  to  the  islanders. 
Melville's  power  in  describing  and  investing  with 
romance  scenes  and  incidents  witnessed  and  participated 
in  by  himself,  and  his  frequent  failure  of  success  as  an 
inventor  of  characters  and  situations,  were  early  pointed 
out  by  his  critics.  More  recently  Mr.  Henry  S.  Salt  has 
drawn  the  same  distinction  very  carefully  in  an  excellent 
article  contributed  to  the  Scottish  Art  Review.  In  a  pre 
fatory  note  to  "  Mardi "  (1849),  Melville  declares  that,  as 
his  former  books  have  been  received  as  romance  instead  of 
reality,  he  will  now  try  his  hand  at  pure  fiction.  "  Mardi " 
may  be  called  a  splendid  failure.  It  must  have  been  soon 
after  the  completion  of  "  Omoo "  that  Melville  began  to 
study  the  writings  of  Sir  Thomas  Browne.  Heretofore 
our  author's  style  was  rough  in  places,  but  marvellously 
simple  and  direct.  "  Mardi "  is  burdened  with  an  over-rich 
diction,  which  Melville  never  entirely  outgrew.  The  scene 
of  this  romance,  which  opens  well,  is  laid  in  the  South 
Seas,  but  everything  soon  becomes  overdrawn  and  fantas 
tical,  and  the  thread  of  the  story  loses  itself  in  a  mystical 
allegory. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxiii 

"  Redburn,"  already  mentioned,  succeeded  "  Mardi "  in 
the  same  year,  and  was  a  partial  return  to  the  author's 
earlier  style.  In  "  White-Jacket ;  or,  the  World  in  a  Man- 
of-War"  (1850),  Melville  almost  regained  it.  This  book 
has  no  equal  as  a  picture  of  life  aboard  a  sailing  man-of- 
war,  the  lights  and  shadows  of  naval  existence  being  well 
contrasted. 

With  "Moby  Dick;  or,  the  Whale"  (1851),  Melville 
reached  the  topmost  notch  of  his  fame.  The  book  repre 
sents,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  conflict  between  the  author's 
earlier  and  later  methods  of  composition,  but  the  "  gigantic 
conception"  of  the  "White  Whale,"  as  Hawthorne  ex 
pressed  it,  permeates  the  whole  work,  and  lifts  it  bodily 
into  the  highest  domain  of  romance.  "  Moby  Dick  "  con 
tains  an  immense  amount  of  information  concerning  the 
habits  of  the  whale  and  the  methods  of  its  capture,  but 
this  is  characteristically  introduced  in  a  way  not  to  inter 
fere  with  the  narrative.  The  chapter  entitled  "Stubb 
Kills  a  Whale "  ranks  with  the  choicest  examples  of 
descriptive  literature. 

"  Moby  Dick "  appeared ;  and  Melville  enjoyed  to  the 
full  the  enhanced  reputation  it  brought  him.  He  did  not, 
however,  take  warning  from  "  Mardi,"  but  allowed  himself 
to  plunge  more  deeply  into  the  sea  of  philosophy  and  fan 
tasy. 

"  Pierre ;  or,  the  Ambiguities  "  (1852)  was  published,  and 
there  ensued  a  long  series  of  hostile  criticisms,  ending  with 
a  severe,  though  impartial,  article  by  Fitz-James  O'Brien 
in  Putnam's  Monthly.  About  the  same  time  the  whole 
stock  of  the  author's  books  was  destroyed  by  fire,  keeping 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION 

them  out  of  print  at  a  critical  moment;  and  public  in 
terest,  which  until  then  had  been  on  the  increase,  gradually 
began  to  diminish. 

After  this  Mr.  Melville  contributed  several  short  stories 
to  Putnam's  Monthly  and  Harper's  Magazine.  Those  in 
the  former  periodical  were  collected  in  a  volume  as  "  Piazza 
Tales  "  (1856)  ;  and  of  these  "  Benito  Cereno  "  and  "  The 
Bell  Tower"  are  equal  to  his  best  previous  efforts. 

"  Israel  Potter  :  His  Fifty  Years  of  Exile  "  (1855),  first 
printed  as  a  serial  in  Putnam's,  is  an  historical  romance  of 
the  American  Eevolution,  based  on  the  hero's  own  account 
of  his  adventures,  as  given  in  a  little  volume  picked  up  by 
Mr.  Melville  at  a  book-stall.  The  story  is  well  told,  but 
the  book  is  hardly  worthy  of  the  author  of  "  Typee."  "  The 
Confidence  Man"  (1857),  his  last  serious  effort  in  prose 
fiction,  does  not  seem  to  require  criticism. 

Mr.  Melville's  pen  had  rested  for  nearly  ten  years,  when 
it  was  again  taken  up  to  celebrate  the  events  of  the  Civil 
War.  "  Battle  Pieces  and  Aspects  of  the  War  "  appeared 
in  1866.  Most  of  these  poems  originated,  according  to  the 
author,  "  in  an  impulse  imparted  by  the  fall  of  Richmond ; " 
but  they  have  as  subjects  all  the  chief  incidents  of  the 
struggle.  The  best  of  them  are  "The  Stone  Fleet,"  "In 
the  Prison  Pen,"  "  The  College  Colonel,"  "  The  March  to 
the  Sea,"  Running  the  Batteries,"  and  "  Sheridan  at  Cedar 
Creek."  Some  of  these  had  a  wide  circulation  in  the  press, 
and  were  preserved  in  various  anthologies.  "  Clarel,  a 
Poem  and  Pilgrimage  in  the  Holy  Land  "  (1876),  is  a  long 
mystical  poem  requiring,  as  some  one  has  said,  a  dictionary, 
a  cyclopaedia,  and  a  copy  of  the  Bible  for  its  elucidation. 


INTR  OD  UC  TION  XXXV 

In  the  two  privately  printed  volumes,  the  arrangement  of 
which  occupied  Mr.  Melville  during  his  last  illness,  there 
are  several  fine  lyrics.  The  titles  of  these  books  are, 
"John  Marr  and  Other  Sailors"  (1888),  and  "Timoleon" 
(1891). 

There  is  no  question  that  Mr.  Melville's  absorption  in 
philosophical  studies  was  quite  as  responsible  as  the  failure 
of  his  later  books  for  his  cessation  from  literary  produc 
tiveness.  That  he  sometimes  realised  the  situation  will 
be  seen  by  a  passage  in  "  Moby  Dick  "  :  — 

"' Didn't  I  tell  you  so?'  said  Flask;  'yes,  you'll  soon 
see  this  right  whale's  head  hoisted  up  opposite  that  par- 
macetti's.' 

"  In  good  time  Flask's  saying  proved  true.  As  before, 
the  Pequod  steeply  leaned  over  towards  the  sperm  whale's 
head,  now,  by  the  counterpoise  of  both  heads,  she  regained 
her  own  keel,  though  sorely  strained,  you  may  well  believe. 
So,  when  on  one  side  you  hoist  in  Locke's  head,  you  go 
over  that  way  ;  but  now,  on  the  other  side,  hoist  in  Kant's 
and  you  come  back  again ;  but  in  very  poor  plight.  Thus, 
some  minds  forever  keep  trimming  boat.  Oh,  ye  foolish  ! 
throw  all  these  thunderheads  overboard,  and  then  you  will 
float  right  and  light." 

Mr.  Melville  would  have  been  more  than  mortal  if  he 
had  been  indifferent  to  his  loss  of  popularity.  Yet  he 
seemed  contented  to  preserve  an  entirely  independent 
attitude,  and  to  trust  to  the  verdict  of  the  future.  The 
smallest  amount  of  activity  would  have  kept  him  before 
the  public ;  but  his  reserve  would  not  permit  this.  That 


xxxvi  INTRODUCTION 

he  had  faith  in  the  eventual  reinstatement  of  his  reputa 
tion  cannot  be  doubted. 

In  the  editing  of  this  reissue  of  "  Melville's  Works,"  I 
have  been  much  indebted  to  the  scholarly  aid  of  Dr.  Titus 
Munson  Coan,  whose  familiarity  with  the  languages  of  the 
Pacific  has  enabled  me  to  harmonise  the  spelling  of  foreign 
words  in  "  Typee  "  and  "  Omoo,"  though  without  changing 
the  phonetic  method  of  printing  adopted  by  Mr.  Melville. 
Dr.  Coan  has  also  been  most  helpful  with  suggestions  in 
other  directions.  Finally,  the  delicate  fancy  of  La  Farge 
has  supplemented  the  immortal  pen-portrait  of  the  Typee 
maiden  with  a  speaking  impersonation  of  her  beauty. 

NEW  YORK,  June,  1882. 


TYPEE 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Sea  —  Longings  for  Shore  —  A  Land-sick  Ship  —  Destination 
of  the  Voyagers  —  The  Marquesas  —  Adventure  of  a  Missionary's 
Wife  among  the  Savages  —  Characteristic  Anecdote  of  the  Queen 
of  Nukuheva. 

Six  months  at  sea !  Yes,  reader,  as  I  live,  six  months 
out  of  sight  of  land ;  cruising  after  the  sperm-whale 
beneath  the  scorching  sun  of  the  Line,  and  tossed  on 
the  billows  of  the  wide-rolling  Pacific  —  the  sky  above, 
the  sea  around,  and  nothing  else !  Weeks  and  weeks 
ago  our  fresh  provisions  were  all  exhausted.  There  is 
not  a  sweet  potato  left ;  not  a  single  yam.  Those  glori 
ous  bunches  of  banannas  which  once  decorated  our  stern 
and  quarter-deck  have,  alas,  disappeared !  and  the 
delicious  oranges  which  hung  suspended  from  our  tops 
and  stays  —  they,  too,  are  gone !  Yes,  they  are  all 
departed,  and  there  is  nothing  left  us  but  salt-horse  and 
sea-biscuit.  Oh !  ye  state-room  sailors,  who  make  so 
much  ado  about  a  fourteen-days'  passage  across  the 
Atlantic  ;  who  so  pathetically  relate  the  privations  and 
hardships  of  the  sea,  where,  after  a  day  of  breakfasting, 
lunching,  dining  off  five  courses,  chatting,  playing  whist, 
and  drinking  champagne-punch,  it  was  your  hard  lot  to 
be  shut  up  in  little  cabinets  of  mahogany  and  maple, 

1 


2  TYPES 

and  sleep  for  ten  hours,  with  nothing  to  disturb  you  but 
"those  good-for-nothing  tars,  shouting  and  tramping 
over  head,"  —  what  would  you  say  to  our  six  months 
out  of  sight  of  land  ? 

Oh  !  for  a  refreshing  glimpse  of  one  blade  of  grass  — 
for  a  snuff  at  the  fragrance  of  a  handful  of  the  loamy 
earth  !  Is  there  nothing  fresh  around  us  ?  Is  there  no 
green  thing  to  be  seen?  Yes,  the  inside  of  our  bul 
warks  is  painted  green  ;  but  what  a  vile  and  sickly  hue 
it  is,  as  if  nothing  bearing  even  the  semblance  of  verdure 
could  flourish  this  weary  way  from  land.  Even  the 
bark  that  once  clung  to  the  wood  we  use  for  fuel  has 
been  gnawed  off  and  devoured  by  the  captain's  pig ; 
and  so  long  ago,  too,  that  the  pig  himself  has  in  turn 
been  devoured. 

There  is  but  one  solitary  tenant  in  the  chicken-coop, 
once  a  gay  and  dapper  young  cock,  bearing  him  so 
bravely  among  the  coy  hens.  But  look  at  him  now ; 
there  he  stands,  moping  all  the  day  long  on  that  ever 
lasting  one  leg  of  his.  He  turns  with  disgust  from  the 
mouldy  corn  before  him,  and  the  brackish  water  in  his 
trough.  He  mourns  no  doubt  his  lost  companions,  lit 
erally  snatched  from  him  one  by  one,  and  never  seen 
again.  But  his  days  of  mourning  will  be  few ;  for 
Mungo,  our  black  cook,  told  me  yesterday  that  the  word 
had  at  last  gone  forth,  and  poor  Pedro's  fate  was  sealed. 
His  attenuated  body  will  be  laid  out  upon  the  captain's 
table  next  Sunday,  and  long  before  night  will  be  buried, 
with  all  the  usual  ceremonies,  beneath  that  worthy  in 
dividual's  vest.  Who  would  believe  that  there  could 
be  any  one  so  cruel  as  to  long  for  the  decapitation  of  the 
luckless  Pedro ;  yet  the  sailors  pray  every  minute, 
selfish  fellows,  that  the  miserable  fowl  may  be  brought 


A  LAND-SICK  SHIP  — ANTICIPATIONS  3 

to  his  end.  They  say  the  captain  will  never  point  the 
ship  for  the  land  so  long  as  he  has  in  anticipation  a  mess 
of  fresh  meat.  This  unhappy  bird  can  alone  furnish  it  ; 
and  when  he  is  once  devoured,  the  captain  will  at 
once  come  to  his  senses.  I  wish  thee  no  harm,  Peter ; 
but  as  thou  art  doomed,  sooner  or  later,  to  meet  the  fate 
of  all  thy  race  ;  and  if  putting  a  period  to  thy  existence 
is  to  be  the  signal  for  our  deliverance,  why  —  truth  to 
speak  —  I  wish  thy  throat  cut  this  very  moment ;  for, 
oh !  how  I  wish  to  see  the  living  earth  again  !  The 
old  ship  herself  longs  to  look  out  upon  the  land  from 
her  hawse-holes  once  more,  and  Jack  Lewis  said  right 
the  other  day  when  the  captain  found  fault  with  his 
steering. 

"  Why,  d'ye  see,  Captain  Vangs,"  says  bold  Jack, 
"  I'm  as  good  a  helmsman  as  ever  put  hand  to  spoke ; 
but  none  of  us  can  steer  the  old  lady  now.  We  can't 
keep  her  full  and  bye,  sir :  watch  her  ever  so  close,  she 
will  fall  off ;  and  then,  sir,  when  I  put  the  helm  down 
so  gently,  and  try  like  to  coax  her  to  the  work,  she 
won't  take  it  kindly,  but  will  fall  round  off  again  ;  and 
it's  all  because  she  knows  the  land  is  under  the  lee,  sir, 
and  she  won't  go  any  more  to  windward."  Aye,  and 
why  should  she,  Jack  ?  didn't  every  one  of  her  stout 
timbers  grow  on  shore,  and  hasn't  she  sensibilities  as 
well  as  we  ? 

Poor  old  ship!  Her  very  looks  denote  her  desires! 
how  deplorably  she  appears !  The  paint  on  her  sides, 
burnt  up  by  the  scorching  sun,  is  puffed  out  and  cracked. 
See  the  weeds  she  trails  along  with  her,  and  what  an  un 
sightly  bunch  of  those  horrid  barnacles  has  formed  about 
her  stern-piece ;  and  every  time  she  rises  on  a  sea,  she 
shows  her  copper  torn  away,  or  hanging  in  jagged  strips. 


4  TTPEE 

Poor  old  ship !  I  say  again :  for  six  months  she  has 
been  rolling  and  pitching  about,  never  for  one  moment 
at  rest.  But  courage,  old  lass,  I  hope  to  see  thee  soon 
within  a  biscuit's  toss  of  the  merry  land,  riding  snugly 
at  anchor  in  some  green  cove,  and  sheltered  from  the 
boisterous  winds. 

"Hurra,  my  lads!  It's  a  settled  thing;  next  week 
we  shape  our  course  to  the  Marquesas!"  The  Mar 
quesas  !  What  strange  visions  of  outlandish  things  does 
the  very  name  spirit  up!  Naked  houris — cannibal 
banquets — groves  of  cocoa-nut — coral  reefs — tatooed 
chiefs — and  bamboo  temples;  sunny  valleys  planted 
with  bread-fruit-trees  —  carved  canoes  dancing  on  the 
flashing  blue  waters — savage  woodlands  guarded  by 
horrible  idols  —  heathenish  rites  and  human  sacrifices. 

Such  were  the  strangely  jumbled  anticipations  that 
haunted  me  during  our  passage  from  the  cruising 
ground.  I  felt  an  irresistible  curiosity  to  see  those 
islands  which  the  olden  voyagers  had  so  glowingly 
described. 

The  group  for  which  we  were  now  steering  (although 
among  the  earliest  of  European  discoveries  in  the  South 
Seas,  having  been  first  visited  in  the  year  1595)  still 
continues  to  be  tenanted  by  beings  as  strange  and  bar 
barous  as  ever.  The  missionaries,  sent  on  a  heavenly 
errand,  had  sailed  by  their  lovely  shores,  and  had  aban 
doned  them  to  their  idols  of  wood  and  stone.  How 
interesting  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were 
discovered !  In  the  watery  path  of  Mendafia,  cruising  in 
quest  of  some  region  of  gold,  these  isles  had  sprung  up 
like  a  scene  of  enchantment,  and  for  a  moment  the 
Spaniard  believed  his  bright  dream  was  realised.  In 


THE  MARQUESAS  5 

honour  of  the  Marquess  de  Mendoza,  then  viceroy  of 
Peru, — under  whose  auspices  the  navigator  sailed, — he 
bestowed  upon  them  the  name  which  denoted  the  rank 
of  his  patron,  and  gave  to  the  world  on  his  return  a 
vague  and  magnificent  account  of  their  beauty.  But 
these  islands,  undisturbed  for  years,  relapsed  into  their 
previous  obscurity;  and  it  is  only  recently  that  any 
thing  has  been  known  concerning  them.  Once  in  the 
course  of  a  half-century,  to  be  sure,  some  adventurous 
rover  would  break  in  upon  their  peaceful  repose,  and, 
astonished  at  the  unusual  scene,  would  be  almost  tempted 
to  claim  the  merit  of  a  new  discovery. 

Of  this  interesting  group,  but  little  account  has  ever 
been  given,  if  we  except  the  slight  mention  made  of 
them  in  the  sketches  of  South  Sea  voyages.  Cook,  in 
his  repeated  circumnavigations  of  the  globe,  barely 
touched  at  their  shores;  and  all  that  we  know  about 
them  is  from  a  few  general  narratives.  Among  these, 
there  are  two  that  claim  particular  notice.  Porter's 
"Journal  of  the  Cruise  of  the  U.  S.  Frigate  Essex,  in  the 
Pacific,  during  the  late  War,"  is  said  to  contain  some 
interesting  particulars  concerning  the  islanders.  This 
is  a  work,  however,  which  I  have  never  happened  to 
meet  with ;  and  Stewart,  the  chaplain  of  the  American 
sloop  of  war  Vincennes,  has  likewise  devoted  a  portion  of 
his  book,  entitled  "A  Visit  to  the  South  Seas,"  to  the 
same  subject. 

Within  the  last  few  years  American  and  English 
vessels  engaged  in  the  extensive  whale  fisheries  of  the 
Pacific  have  occasionally,  when  short  of  provisions,  put 
into  the  commodious  harbour  which  there  is  in  one  of 
the  islands;  but  a  fear  of  the  natives,  founded  on  a 
recollection  of  the  dreadful  fate  which  many  white 


6  TYPES 

men  have  received  at  their  hands,  has  deterred  their 
crews  from  intermixing  with  the  population  sufficiently 
to  gain  any  insight  into  their  peculiar  customs  and 
manners. 

The  Protestant  Missions  appear  to  have  despaired  of 
reclaiming  these  islands  from  heathenism.  The  usage 
they  have  in  every  case  received  from  the  natives  has 
been  such  as  to  intimidate  the  boldest  of  their  number. 
Ellis,  in  his  "Polynesian  Researches,"  gives  some  inter 
esting  accounts  of  the  abortive  attempts  made  by  the 
Tahiti  Mission  to  establish  a  branch  Mission  upon  cer 
tain  islands  of  the  group.  A  short  time  before  my  visit 
to  the  Marquesas,  a  somewhat  amusing  incident  took 
place  in  connection  with  these  efforts  which  I  cannot 
avoid  relating. 

An  intrepid  missionary,  undaunted  by  the  ill-success 
that  had  attended  all  previous  endeavours  to  conciliate 
the  savages,  and  believing  much  in  the  efficacy  of  female 
influence,  introduced  among  them  his  young  and  beau 
tiful  wife,  the  first  white  woman  who  had  ever  visited 
their  shores.  The  islanders  at  first  gazed  in  mute  ad 
miration  at  so  unusual  a  prodigy,  and  seemed  inclined 
to  regard  it  as  some  new  divinity.  But  after  a  short 
time,  becoming  familiar  with  its  charming  aspect,  and 
jealous  of  the  folds  which  encircled  its  form,  they 
sought  to  pierce  the  sacred  veil  of  calico  in  which  it  was 
enshrined,  and  in  the  gratification  of  their  curiosity  so 
far  overstepped  the  limits  of  good  breeding,  as  deeply 
to  offend  the  lady's  sense  of  decorum.  Her  sex  once 
ascertained,  their  idolatry  was  changed  into  contempt; 
and  there  was  no  end  to  the  contumely  showered  upon 
her  by  the  savages,  who  were  exasperated  at  the  decep 
tion  which  they  conceived  had  been  practised  upon 


FRENCH  SQUADRON  AT  THE  MARQUESAS  7 

them.  To  the  horror  of  her  affectionate  spouse,  she 
was  stripped  of  her  garments,  and  given  to  understand 
that  she  could  no  longer  carry  on  her  deceits  with 
impunity.  The  gentle  dame  was  not  sufficiently  evan 
gelised  to  endure  this,  and,  fearful  of  further  impro 
prieties,  she  forced  her  husband  to  relinquish  his  under 
taking,  and  together  they  returned  to  Tahiti. 

Not  thus  shy  of  exhibiting  her  charms  was  the  Island 
Queen  herself,  the  beauteous  wife  of  Mowanna,  the 
king  of  Nukuheva.  Between  two  and  three  years  after 
the  adventures  recorded  in  this  volume,  I  chanced,  while 
aboard  of  a  man-of-war,  to  touch  at  these  islands.  The 
French  had  then  held  possession  of  the  Marquesas  some 
time,  and  already  prided  themselves  upon  the  beneficial 
effects  of  their  jurisdiction,  as  discernible  in  the  deport 
ment  of  the  natives.  To  be  sure,  in  one  of  their  efforts 
at  reform  they  had  slaughtered  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  of  them  at  Whitihoo  —  but  let  that  pass.  At  the 
time  I  mention,  the  French  squadron  was  rendezvous 
ing  in  the  bay  of  Nukuheva,  and  during  an  interview 
between  one  of  their  captains  and  our  worthy  Commo 
dore,  it  was  suggested  by  the  former,  that  we,  as  the 
flag-ship  of  the  American  squadron,  should  receive  in 
state  a  visit  from  the  royal  pair.  The  French  officer 
likewise  represented,  with  evident  satisfaction,  that 
under  their  tuition  the  king  and  queen  had  imbibed  pro 
per  notions  of  their  elevated  station,  and  on  all  ceremo 
nious  occasions  conducted  themselves  with  suitable  dig 
nity.  Accordingly,  preparations  were  made  to  give  their 
majesties  a  reception  on  board  in  a  style  corresponding 
with  their  rank. 

One  bright  afternoon  a  gig,  gayly  bedizened  with 
streamers,  was  observed  to  shove  off  from  the  side  of 


8  TTPEE 

one  of  the  French  frigates,  and  pull  directly  for  our 
gangway.  In  the  stern  sheets  reclined  Mowanna  and 
his  consort.  As  they  approached,  we  paid  them  all  the 
honours  due  to  royalty; — manning  our  yards,  firing  a 
salute,  and  making  a  prodigious  hubbub. 

They  ascended  the  accommodation  ladder,  were  greet 
ed  by  the  Commodore,  hat  in  hand,  and  passing  along 
the  quarter-deck,  the  marine  guard  presented  arms, 
while  the  band  struck  up  "  The  King  of  the  Cannibal 
Islands."  So  far  all  went  well.  The  French  officers 
grimaced  and  smiled  in  exceedingly  high  spirits,  won 
derfully  pleased  with  the  discreet  manner  in  which 
these  distinguished  personages  behaved  themselves. 

Their  appearance  was  certainly  calculated  to  produce 
an  effect.  His  majesty  was  arrayed  in  a  magnificent 
military  uniform,  stiff  with  gold  lace  and  embroidery, 
while  his  shaven  crown  was  concealed  by  a  huge  chapeau 
bras,  waving  with  ostrich  plumes.  There  was  one  slight 
blemish,  however,  in  his  appearance.  A  broad  patch  of 
tatooing  stretched  completely  across  his  face,  in  a  line 
with  his  eyes,  making  him  look  as  if  he  wore  a  huge 
pair  of  goggles ;  and  royalty  in  goggles  suggested  some 
ludicrous  ideas.  But  it  was  in  the  adornment  of  the  fair 
person  of  his  dark-complexioned  spouse  that  the  tailors 
of  the  fleet  had  evinced  the  gayety  of  their  national 
taste.  She  was  habited  in  a  gaudy  tissue  of  scarlet 
sloth,  trimmed  with  yellow  silk,  which,  descending  a 
little  below  the  knees,  exposed  to  view  her  bare  legs, 
embellished  with  spiral  tatooing,  and  somewhat  resem 
bling  two  miniature  Trajan's  columns.  Upon  her  head 
was  a  fanciful  turban  of  purple  velvet,  figured  with  sil 
ver  sprigs,  and  surmounted  by  a  tuft  of  variegated 
feathers. 


LUDICROUS  BEHAVIOUR  OF  THE  QUEEN         9 

The  ship's  company,  crowding  into  the  gangway  to 
view  the  sight,  soon  arrested  her  majesty's  attention. 
She  singled  out  from  their  number  an  old  salt,  whose 
bare  arms  and  feet,  and  exposed  breast  were  covered 
with  as  many  inscriptions  in  India  ink  as  the  lid  of  an 
Egyptian  sarcophagus.  Notwithstanding  all  the  sly 
hints  and  remonstrances  of  the  French  officers,  she  im 
mediately  approached  the  man,  and  pulling  further  open 
the  bosom  of  his  duck  frock,  and  rolling  up  the  leg  of 
his  wide  trousers,  she  gazed  in  admiration  at  the  bright 
blue  and  vermilion  pricking  thus  disclosed  to  view. 
She  hung  over  the  fellow,  caressing  him,  and  expressing 
her  delight  in  a  variety  of  wild  exclamations  and  ges 
tures.  The  embarrassment  of  the  polite  Gauls  at  such 
an  unlooked-for  occurrence  may  be  easily  imagined; 
but  picture  their  consternation,  when  all  at  once  the 
royal  lady,  eager  to  display  the  hieroglyphics  on  her 
own  sweet  form,  bent  forward  for  a  moment,  and  turn 
ing  sharply  round,  threw  up  the  skirts  of  her  mantle, 
and  revealed  a  sight  from  which  the  aghast  Frenchmen 
retreated  precipitately,  and  tumbling  into  their  boat, 
fled  the  scene  of  so  shocking  a  castrophe. 


10  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  II. 

Passage  from  the  Cruising  Ground  to  the  Marquesas  —  Sleepy  Times 
aboard  Ship  —  South  Sea  Scenery  —  Land  ho  !  —  The  French 
Squadron  discovered  at  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Nukuheva — Strange 
Pilot  —  Escort  of  Canoes  —  A  Flotilla  of  Cocoa-nuts  —  Swimming 
Visitors.  —  The  Dolly  boarded  by  them  —  State  of  Affairs  that 
ensue. 

I  CAN  never  forget  the  eighteen  or  twenty  days  dur 
ing  which  the  light  trade-winds  were  silently  sweeping 
us  towards  the  islands.  In  pursuit  of  the  sperm-whale, 
we  had  been  cruising  on  the  line  some  twenty  degrees 
to  the  westward  of  the  Gallipagos ;  and  all  that  we  had 
to  do,  when  our  course  was  determined  on,  was  to 
square  in  the  yards  and  keep  the  vessel  before  the 
breeze,  and  then  the  good  ship  and  the  steady  gale  did 
the  rest  between  them.  The  man  at  the  wheel  never 
vexed  the  old  lady  with  any  superfluous  steering,  but 
comfortably  adjusting  his  limbs  at  the  tiller,  would  doze 
away  by  the  hour.  True  to  her  work,  the  Dolly  headed 
to  her  course,  and  like  one  of  those  characters  who 
always  do  the  best  when  let  alone,  she  jogged  on  her 
way  like  a  veteran  old  sea-pacer  as  she  was. 

What  a  delightful,  lazy,  languid  time  we  had  whilst 
we  were  thus  gliding  along !  There  was  nothing  to  be 
done ;  a  circumstance  that  happily  suited  our  disincli 
nation  to  do  anything.  We  abandoned  the  fore-peak 
altogether,  and  spreading  an  awning  over  the  forecastle, 
slept,  ate,  and  lounged  under  it  the  live-long  day. 
Every  one  seemed  to  be  under  the  influence  of  some 


SOUTH-SEA  SCENERY  11 

narcotic.  Even  the  officers  aft,  whose  duty  required 
them  never  to  be  seated  while  keeping  a  deck  watch, 
vainly  endeavoured  to  keep  on  their  pins ;  and  were  ob 
liged  invariably  to  compromise  the  matter  by  leaning  up 
against  the  bulwarks,  and  gazing  abstractedly  over  the 
side.  Reading  was  out  of  the  question ;  take  a  book  in 
your  hand,  and  you  were  asleep  in  an  instant. 

Although  I  could  not  avoid  yielding  in  a  great 
measure  to  the  general  languor,  still  at  times  I  con 
trived  to  shake  off  the  spell,  and  to  appreciate  the 
beauty  of  the  scene  around  me.  The  sky  presented  a 
clear  expanse  of  the  most  delicate  blue,  except  along 
the  skirts  of  the  horizon,  where  you  might  see  a  thin 
drapery  of  pale  clouds  which  never  varied  their  form  or 
colour.  The  long,  measured,  dirge-like  swell  of  the 
Pacific  came  rolling  along,  with  its  surface  broken  by 
little  tiny  waves,  sparkling  in  the  sunshine.  Every  now 
and  then  a  shoal  of  flying-fish,  scared  from  the  water 
under  the  bows,  would  leap  into  the  air,  and  fall  the 
next  moment  like  a  shower  of  silver  into  the  sea. 
Then  you  would  see  the  superb  albicore,  with  his  glit 
tering  sides,  sailing  aloft,  and  often  describing  an  arc  in 
his  descent,  disappear  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Far  off,  the  lofty  jet  of  the  whale  might  be  seen,  and 
nearer  at  hand  the  prowling  shark,  that  villanous  foot 
pad  of  the  seas,  would  come  skulking  along,  and,  at  a 
wary  distance,  regard  us  with  his  evil  eye.  At  times, 
some  shapeless  monster  of  the  deep,  floating  on  the  sur 
face,  would,  as  we  approached,  sink  slowly  into  the 
blue  waters,  and  fade  away  from  the  sight.  But  the 
most  impressive  feature  of  the  scene  was  the  almost 
unbroken  silence  that  reigned  over  sky  and  water. 
Scarcely  a  sound  could  be  heard  but  the  occasional 


12  TYPES 

breathing  of  the  grampus,  and  the  rippling  at  the  cut 
water. 

As  we  drew  nearer  the  land,  I  hailed  with  delight  the 
appearance  of  innumerable  sea-fowl.  Screaming  and 
whirling  in  spiral  tracks,  they  would  accompany  the 
vessel,  and  at  times  alight  on  our  yards  and  stays. 
That  piratical-looking  fellow,  appropriately  named  the 
man-of-war's  hawk,  with  his  blood-red  bill  and  raven 
plumage,  would  come  sweeping  round  us  in  gradually 
diminishing  circles,  till  you  could  distinctly  mark  the 
strange  flashings  of  his  eye;  and  then,  as  if  satisfied 
with  his  observation,  would  sail  up  into  the  air  and  dis 
appear  from  the  view.  Soon,  other  evidences  of  our 
vicinity  to  the  land  were  apparent,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  glad  announcement  of  its  being  in  sight  was 
heard  from  aloft,  —  given  with  that  peculiar  prolonga 
tion  of  sound  that  a  sailor  loves  —  "  Land  ho !  " 

The  captain,  darting  on  deck  from  the  cabin,  bawled 
lustily  for  his  spy-glass  ;  the  mate  in  still  louder  accents 
hailed  the  mast-head  with  a  tremendous  "  Where-away?  " 
The  black  cook  thrust  his  woolly  head  from  the  galley, 
and  Boatswain,  the  dog,  leaped  up  between  the  knight- 
heads,  and  barked  most  furiously.  Land  ho !  Aye, 
there  it  was.  A  hardly  perceptible  blue  irregular  out 
line,  indicating  the  bold  contour  of  the  lofty  heights  of 
Nukuheva. 

This  island,  although  generally  called  one  of  the  Mar 
quesas,  is  by  some  navigators  considered  as  forming  one 
of  a  distinct  cluster,  comprising  the  islands  of  Ruhooka, 
Ropo,  and  Nukuheva ;  upon  which  three  the  appellation 
of  the  Washington  Group  has  been  bestowed.  They 
form  a  triangle,  and  lie  within  the  parallels  of  8°  38" 
and  9°  32"  South  latitude,  and  139°  20'  and  140°  10' 


LAND  HO!  13 

West  longitude  from  Greenwich.  With  how  little 
propriety  they  are  to  be  regarded  as  forming  a  separate 
group  will  be  at  once  apparent,  when  it  is  considered 
that  they  lie  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  other 
islands,  that  is  to  say,  less  than  a  degree  to  the  north 
west  of  them;  that  their  inhabitants  speak  the  Mar- 
quesan  dialect,  and  that  their  laws,  religion,  and  general 
customs  are  identical.  The  only  reason  why  they  were 
ever  thus  arbitrarily  distinguished,  may  be  attributed  to 
the  singular  fact  that  their  existence  was  altogether 
unknown  to  the  world  until  the  year  1791,  when  they 
were  discovered  by  Captain  Ingraham,  of  Boston,  Mas 
sachusetts,  nearly  two  centuries  after  the  discovery  of 
the  adjacent  islands  by  the  agent  of  the  Spanish  Viceroy. 
Notwithstanding  this,  I  shall  follow  the  example  of  most 
voyagers,  and  treat  of  them  as  forming  part  and  parcel 
of  the  Marquesas. 

Nukuheva  is  the  most  important  of  these  islands, 
being  the  only  one  at  which  ships  are  much  in  the  habit 
of  touching,  and  is  celebrated  as  being  the  place  where 
the  adventurous  Captain  Porter  refitted  his  ships  during 
the  late  war  between  England  and  the  United  States, 
and  whence  he  sallied  out  upon  the  large  whaling  fleet 
then  sailing  under  the  enemy's  flag  in  the  surrounding 
seas.  This  island  is  about  twenty  miles  in  length,  and 
nearly  as  many  in  breadth.  It  has  three  good  harbours 
on  its  coast ;  the  largest  and  best  of  which  is  called  by 
the  people  living  in  its  vicinity  "Taiohse,"  and  by 
Captain  Porter  was  denominated  Massachusetts  Bay. 
Among  the  adverse  tribes  dwelling  about  the  shores  of 
the  other  bays,  and  by  all  voyagers,  it  is  generally 
known  by  the  name  bestowed  upon  the  island  itself — • 
Nukuheva.  Its  inhabitants  have  become  somewhat  cor- 


14  TYPEE 

rupted,  owing  to  their  recent  commerce  with  Europeans-, 
but  so  far  as  regards  their  peculiar  customs  and  general 
mode  of  life,  they  retain  their  original  primitive  char 
acter,  remaining  very  nearly  in  the  same  state  of  nature 
in  which  they  were  first  beheld  by  white  men.  The 
hostile  clans,  residing  in  the  more  remote  sections  of 
the  island,  and  very  seldom  holding  any  communication 
with  foreigners,  are  in  every  respect  unchanged  from 
their  earliest  known  condition. 

In  the  bay  of  Nukuheva  was  the  anchorage  we  desired 
to  reach.  We  had  perceived  the  loom  of  the  mountains 
about  sunset;  so  that  after  running  all  night  with  a 
very  light  breeze,  we  found  ourselves  close  in  with  the 
island  the  next  morning ;  but  as  the  bay  we  sought  lay 
on  its  farther  side,  we  were  obliged  to  sail  some  distance 
along  the  shore,  catching,  as  we  proceeded,  short  glimpses 
of  blooming  valleys,  deep  glens,  waterfalls,  and  waving 
groves,  hidden  here  and  there  by  projecting  and  rocky 
headlands,  every  moment  opening  to  the  view  some  new 
and  startling  scene  of  beauty. 

Those  who  for  the  first  time  visit  the  South  Seas, 
generally  are  surprised  at  the  appearance  of  the  islands 
when  beheld  from  the  sea.  From  the  vague  accounts 
we  sometimes  have  of  their  beauty,  many  people  are  apt 
to  picture  to  themselves  enamelled  and  softly  swelling 
plains,  shaded  over  with  delicious  groves,  and  watered 
by  purling  brooks,  and  the  entire  country  but  little  ele 
vated  above  the  surrounding  ocean.  The  reality  is  very 
different ;  bold  rock-bound  coasts,  with  the  surf  beating 
high  against  the  lofty  cliffs,  and  broken  here  and  there 
into  deep  inlets,  which  open  to  the  view  thickly  wooded 
valleys,  separated  by  the  spurs  of  mountains  clothed 
with  tufted  grass,  and  sweeping  down  towards  the  sea 


BAT  OF  NUKUHEVA  15 

from  an  elevated  and  furrowed  interior,  form  the  prin 
cipal  features  of  these  islands. 

Towards  noon  we  drew  abreast  the  entrance  to  the 
harbour,  and  at  last  we  slowly  swept  by  the  intervening 
promontory,  and  entered  the  bay  of  Nukuheva.  No  de 
scription  can  do  justice  to  its  beauty ;  but  that  beauty 
was  lost  to  me  then,  and  I  saw  nothing  but  the  tri- 
coloured  flag  of  France  trailing  over  the  stern  of  six 
vessels,  whose  black  hulls  and  bristling  broadsides 
proclaimed  their  warlike  character.  There  they  were, 
floating  in  that  lovely  bay,  the  green  eminences  of  the 
shore  looking  down  so  tranquilly  upon  them,  as  if  re 
buking  the  sternness  of  their  aspect.  To  my  eye  noth 
ing  could  be  more  out  of  keeping  than  the  presence  oi 
these  vessels ;  but  we  soon  learnt  what  brought  them 
there.  The  whole  group  of  islands  had  just  been  taken 
possession  of  by  Rear  Admiral  Du  Petit  Thouars,  in  the 
name  of  the  invincible  French  nation. 

This  item  of  information  was  imparted  to  us  by  a 
most  extraordinary  individual,  a  genuine  South  Sea  vaga 
bond,  who  came  alongside  of  us  in  a  whale-boat  as  soon 
as  we  entered  the  bay,  and  by  the  aid  of  some  benevo 
lent  persons  at  the  gangway  was  assisted  on  board ;  for 
our  visitor  was  in  that  interesting  stage  of  intoxication 
when  a  man  is  amiable  and  helpless.  Although  he  was 
utterly  unable  to  stand  erect,  or  to  navigate  his  body 
across  the  deck,  he  still  magnanimously  proffered  his 
services  to  pilot  the  ship  to  a  good  and  secure  anchorage. 
Our  captain,  however,  rather  distrusted  his  ability  in 
this  respect,  and  refused  to  recognise  his  claim  to  the 
character  he  assumed ;  but  our  gentleman  was  deter 
mined  to  play  his  part,  for  by  dint  of  much  scrambling 
he  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  weather-quarter  boat, 


16  TTPEE 

where  he  steadied  himself  by  holding  on  to  a  shroud, 
and  then  commenced  issuing  his  commands  with  amaz 
ing  volubility  and  very  peculiar  gestures.  Of  course 
no  one  obeyed  his  orders ;  but  as  it  was  impossible  to 
quiet  him,  we  swept  by  the  ships  of  the  squadron  with 
this  strange  fellow  performing  his  antics  in  full  view  of 
all  the  French  officers. 

We  afterwards  learned  that  our  eccentric  friend  had 
been  a  lieutenant  in  the  English  navy ;  but  having  dis 
graced  his  flag  by  some  criminal  conduct  in  one  of  the 
principal  ports  on  the  main,  he  had  deserted  his  ship, 
and  spent  many  years  wandering  among  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific,  until  accidentally  being  at  Nukuheva  when 
the  French  took  possession  of  the  place,  he  had  been  ap 
pointed  pilot  of  the  harbour  by  the  newly  constituted 
authorities. 

As  we  slowly  advanced  up  the  bay,  numerous  canoes 
pushed  off  from  the  surrounding  shores,  and  we  were 
soon  in  the  midst  of  quite  a  flotilla  of  them,  their  savage 
occupants  struggling  to  get  aboard  of  us,  and  jostling 
one  another  in  their  ineffectual  attempts.  Occasionally 
the  projecting  out-riggers  of  their  slight  shallops  run 
ning  foul  of  one  another,  would  become  entangled 
beneath  the  water,  threatening  to  capsize  the  canoes, 
when  a  scene  of  confusion  would  ensue  that  baffles 
description.  Such  strange  outcries  and  passionate  ges 
ticulations  I  never  certainly  heard  or  saw  before.  You 
would  have  thought  the  islanders  were  on  the  point  of 
flying  at  one  another's  throats,  whereas  they  were  only 
amicably  engaged  in  disentangling  their  boats. 

Scattered  here  and  there  among  the  canoes  might  be 
seen  numbers  of  cocoa-nuts  floating  closely  together  in 
circular  groups,  and  bobbing  up  and  down  with  every 


NATIVES  AND   COCOA-NUT  FLOTILLA  17 

wave.  By  some  inexplicable  means  these  cocoa-nuts 
were  all  steadily  approaching  towards  the  ship.  As  I 
leaned  curiously  over  the  side,  endeavouring  to  solve 
their  mysterious  movements,  one  mass  far  in  advance 
of  the  rest  attracted  my  attention.  In  its  centre  was 
something  I  could  take  for  nothing  else  than  a  cocoa- 
nut,  but  which  I  certainly  considered  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  specimens  of  the  fruit  I  had  ever  seen. 
It  kept  twirling  and  dancing  about  among  the  rest  in 
the  most  singular  manner,  and  as  it  drew  nearer,  I 
thought  it  bore  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  brown 
shaven  skull  of  one  of  the  savages.  Presently  it  be 
trayed  a  pair  of  eyes,  and  soon  I  became  aware  that 
what  I  had  supposed  to  have  been  one  of  the  fruit  was 
nothing  else  than  the  head  of  an  islander,  who  had 
adopted  this  singular  method  of  bringing  his  produce 
to  market.  The  cocoa-nuts  were  all  attached  to  one 
another  by  strips  of  the  husk,  partly  torn  from  the  shell, 
and  rudely  fastened  together.  Their  proprietor,  insert 
ing  his  head  into  the  midst  of  them,  impelled  his  neck 
lace  of  cocoa-nuts  through  the  water  by  striking  out 
beneath  the  surface  with  his  feet. 

I  was  somewhat  astonished  to  perceive  that  among 
the  number  of  natives  that  surrounded  us,  not  a  single 
female  was  to  be  seen.  At  that  time  I  was  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that,  by  the  operation  of  the  "  taboo,"  the  use 
of  canoes  in  all  parts  of  the  island  is  rigorously  pro 
hibited  to  the  entire  sex,  for  whom  it  is  death  even  to 
be  seen  entering  one  when  hauled  on  shore ;  conse 
quently,  whenever  a  Marquesan  lady  voyages  by  water, 
she  puts  in  requisition  the  paddles  of  her  own  fair 
body. 

We  had  approached  within  a  mile  and  a  half,  perhaps, 


18  TYPES 

of  the  foot  of  the  bay,  when  some  of  the  islanders,  who 
by  this  time  had  managed  to  scramble  aboard  of  us  at 
the  risk  of  swamping  their  canoes,  directed  our  attention 
to  a  singular  commotion  in  the  water  ahead  of  the  ves 
sel.  At  first  I  imagined  it  to  be  produced  by  a  shoal 
of  fish  sporting  on  the  surface,  but  our  savage  friends 
assured  us  that  it  was  caused  by  a  shoal  of  "whin- 
henies  "  (young  girls),  who  in  this  manner  were  coming 
off  from  the  shore  to  welcome  us.  As  they  drew  nearer, 
and  I  watched  the  rising  and  sinking  of  their  forms, 
and  beheld  the  uplifted  right  arm  bearing  above  the 
water  the  girdle  of  tappa,  and  their  long  dark  hair 
trailing  beside  them  as  they  swam,  I  almost  fancied 
they  could  be  nothing  else  than  so  many  mermaids  — 
and  very  like  mermaids  they  behaved  too. 

We  were  still  some  distance  from  the  beach,  and 
under  slow  headway,  when  we  sailed  right  into  the 
midst  of  these  swimming  nymphs,  and  they  boarded  us 
at  every  quarter ;  many  seizing  hold  of  the  chain-plates 
and  springing  into  the  chains ;  others,  at  the  peril  of 
being  run  over  by  the  vessel  in  her  course,  catching  at 
the  bob-stays,  and  wreathing  their  slender  forms  about 
the  ropes,  hung  suspended  in  the  air.  All  of  them  at 
length  succeeded  in  getting  up  the  ship's  side,  where 
they  clung  dripping  with  the  brine,  and  glowing  from  the 
bath,  their  jet-black  tresses  streaming  over  their  shoul 
ders,  and  half  enveloping  their  otherwise  naked  forms. 
There  they  hung,  sparkling  with  savage  vivacity,  laugh 
ing  gayly  at  one  another,  and  chattering  away  with 
infinite  glee.  Nor  were  they  idle  the  while,  for  each 
one  performed  the  simple  offices  of  the  toilet  for  the 
other.  Their  luxuriant  locks,  wound  up  and  twisted 
into  the  smallest  possible  compass,  were  freed  from  the 


NATIVE  DANCE  19 

briny  element;  the  whole  person  carefully  dried,  and 
from  a  little  round  shell  that  passed  from  hand  to  hand, 
anointed  with  a  fragrant  oil:  their  adornments  were 
completed  by  passing  a  few  loose  folds  of  white  tappa,  in 
a  modest  cincture,  around  the  waist.  Thus  arrayed,  they 
no  longer  hesitated,  but  flung  themselves  lightly  over 
the  bulwarks,  and  were  quickly  frolicking  about  the 
decks.  Many  of  them  went  forward,  perching  upon 
the  head-rails,  or  running  out  upon  the  bowsprit,  while 
others  seated  themselves  upon  the  taffrail,  or  reclined 
at  full  length  upon  the  boats.  What  a  sight  for  us 
bachelor  sailors  !  How  avoid  so  dire  a  temptation  ?  For 
who  could  think  of  tumbling  these  artless  creatures 
overboard,  when  they  had  swam  miles  to  welcome 
us? 

Their  appearance  perfectly  amazed  me  ;  their  extreme 
youth,  the  light  clear  brown  of  their  complexions,  their 
delicate  features,  and  inexpressibly  graceful  figures, 
their  softly  moulded  limbs,  and  free  unstudied  action, 
seemed  as  strange  as  beautiful. 

The  Dolly  was  fairly  captured;  and  never  I  will 
say  was  vessel  carried  before  by  such  a  dashing  and 
irresistible  party  of  boarders !  The  ship  taken,  we 
could  not  do  otherwise  than  yield  ourselves  prisoners, 
and  for  the  whole  period  that  she  remained  in  the  bay, 
the  Dolly,  as  well  as  her  crew,  were  completely  in 
the  hands  of  the  mermaids. 

In  the  evening  after  we  had  come  to  an  anchor  the 
deck  was  illuminated  with  lanterns,  and  this  picturesque 
band  of  sylphs,  tricked  out  with  flowers,  and  dressed  in 
robes  of  variegated  tappa,  got  up  a  ball  in  great  style. 
These  females  are  passionately  fond  of  dancing,  and  in 
the  wild  grace  and  spirit  of  their  style  excel  everything 


20  TTPEE 

that  I  have  ever  seen.  The  varied  dances  of  the  Mar- 
quesan  girls  are  beautiful  in  the  extreme,  but  there  is 
an  abandoned  voluptuousness  in  their  character  which 
I  dare  not  attempt  to  describe. 


OPERATIONS  OF  THE  FRENCH 


CHAPTER  III. 

Some  Account  of  the  Late  Operations  of  the  French  at  the  Marquesas 
—  Prudent  Conduct  of  the  Admiral  —  Sensation  produced  by  the 
Arrival  of  the  Strangers  —  The  First  Horse  seen  by  the  Islanders  — 
Reflections  —  Miserable  Subterfuge  of  the  French  —  Digression 
concerning  Tahiti  —  Seizure  of  the  Island  by  the  Admiral  — 
Spirited  Conduct  of  an  English  Lady. 

IT  was  in  the  summer  of  1842  that  we  arrived  at  the 
islands ;  the  French  had  then  held  possession  of  them 
for  several  weeks.  During  this  time  they  had  visited 
some  of  the  principal  places  in  the  group,  and  had  dis 
embarked  at  various  points  about  five  hundred  troops. 
These  were  employed  in  constructing  works  of  defence, 
and  otherwise  providing  against  the  attacks  of  the 
natives,  who  at  any  moment  might  be  expected  to  break 
out  in  open  hostility.  The  islanders  looked  upon  the 
people  who  made  this  cavalier  appropriation  of  their 
shores  with  mingled  feelings  of  fear  and  detestation. 
They  cordially  hated  them ;  but  the  impulses  of  their 
resentment  were  neutralized  by  their  dread  of  the  float 
ing  batteries,  which  lay  with  their  fatal  tubes  ostenta 
tiously  pointed,  not  at  fortifications  and  redoubts,  but  at 
a  handful  of  bamboo  sheds,  sheltered  in  a  grove  of 
cocoa-nuts  !  A  valiant  warrior,  doubtless,  but  a  prudent 
one  too,  was  this  same  Rear  Admiral  Du  Petit  Thouars. 
Four  heavy,  double-banked  frigates  and  three  corvettes 
to  frighten  a  parcel  of  naked  heathen  into  subjection  I 
Sixty-eight  pounders  to  demolish  huts  of  cocoa-nut 


22  TTPEE 

boughs,  and  Congreve  rockets  to  set  on  fire  a  few  canoe 
sheds! 

At  Nukuheva,  there  were  about  one  hundred  soldiers 
ashore.  They  were  encamped  in  tents,  constructed  of 
the  old  sails  and  spare  spars  of  the  squadron,  within  the 
limits  of  a  redoubt  mounted  with  a  few  nine-pounders, 
and  surrounded  with  a  fosse.  Every  other  day,  these 
troops  were  marched  out  in  martial  array,  to  a  level 
piece  of  ground  in  the  vicinity,  and  there  for  hours  went 
through  all  sorts  of  military  evolutions,  surrounded  by 
flocks  of  the  natives,  who  looked  on  with  savage  admi 
ration  at  the  show,  and  as  savage  a  hatred  of  the  actors. 
A  regiment  of  the  Old  Guard,  reviewed  on  a  summer's 
day  in  the  Champs  Elyse*es,  could  not  have  made  a  more 
critically  correct  appearance.  The  officers'  regimentals, 
resplendent  with  gold  lace  and  embroidery,  as  if  calcu 
lated  to  dazzle  the  islanders,  looked  as  if  just  unpacked 
from  their  Parisian  cases. 

The  sensation  produced  by  the  presence  of  the 
strangers  had  not  in  the  least  subsided  at  the  period  of 
our  arrival  at  the  islands.  The  natives  still  flocked  in 
numbers  about  the  encampment,  and  watched  with  the 
liveliest  curiosity  everything  that  was  going  forward. 
A  blacksmith's  forge,  which  had  been  set  up  in  the 
shelter  of  a  grove  near  the  beach,  attracted  so  great  a 
crowd,  that  it  required  the  utmost  efforts  of  the  sentries 
posted  around  to  keep  the  inquisitive  multitude  at  a 
sufficient  distance  to  allow  the  workmen  to  ply  their 
vocation.  But  nothing  gained  so  large  a  share  of 
admiration  as  a  horse,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Valparaiso  by  the  Achille,  one  of  the  vessels  of  the 
squadron.  The  animal,  a  remarkably  fine  one,  had  been 
taken  ashore  and  stabled  in  a  hut  of  cocoa-nut  boughs 


NATIVES'  ADMIRATION  OF  THE  HORSE          23 

ndthin  the  fortified  enclosure.  Occasionally  it  was 
brought  out,  and,  being  gayly  caparisoned,  was  ridden 
by  one  of  the  officers  at  full  speed  over  the  hard  sand 
beach.  This  performance  was  sure  to  be  hailed  with 
loud  plaudits,  and  the  "  puarkee  nuee  "  (big  hog)  was 
unanimously  pronounced  by  the  islanders  to  be  the 
most  extraordinary  specimen  of  zoology  that  had  ever 
come  under  their  observation. 

The  expedition  for  the  occupation  of  the  Marquesas 
had  sailed  from  Brest  in  the  spring  of  1842,  and  the 
secret  of  its  destination  was  solely  in  the  possession  of 
its  commander.  No  wonder  that  those  who  contem 
plated  such  a  signal  infraction  of  the  rights  of  humanity 
should  have  sought  to  veil  the  enormity  from  the  eyes 
of  the  world.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  their  iniqui 
tous  conduct  in  this  and  in  other  matters,  the  French 
have  ever  plumed  themselves  upon  being  the  most 
humane  and  polished  of  nations.  A  high  degree  of 
refinement,  however,  does  not  seem  to  subdue  our 
wicked  propensities  so  much  after  all ;  and  were  civili 
sation  itself  to  be  estimated  by  some  of  its  results,  it 
would  seem  perhaps  better  for  what  we  call  the  barbar 
ous  part  of  the  world  to  remain  unchanged. 

One  example  of  the  shameless  subterfuges  under 
which  the  French  stand  prepared  to  defend  whatever 
cruelties  they  may  hereafter  think  fit  to  commit  in 
bringing  the  Marquesan  natives  into  subjection  is  well 
worthy  of  being  recorded.  On  some  flimsy  pretext  or 
other,  Mowanna,  the  king  of  Nukuheva,  whom  the 
invaders  by  extravagant  presents  have  cajoled  over  to 
their  interests,  and  move  about  like  a  mere  puppet,  has 
been  set  up  as  the  rightful  sovereign  of  the  entire 
island, — the  alleged  ruler  by  prescriptions  of  various 


24  TTPEE 

clans  who  for  ages  perhaps  have  treated  with  each  other 
as  separate  nations.  To  reinstate  this  much-injured 
prince  in  the  assumed  dignities  of  his  ancestors,  the 
disinterested  strangers  have  come  all  the  way  from 
France:  they  are  determined  that  his  title  shall  be 
acknowledged.  If  any  tribe  shall  refuse  to  recognise 
the  authority  of  the  French,  by  bowing  down  to  the 
laced  chapeau  of  Mowanna,  let  them  abide  the  conse 
quences  of  their  obstinacy.  Under  cover  of  a  similar 
pretence,  have  the  outrages  and  massacres  at  Tahiti 
the  beautiful,  the  queen  of  the  South  Seas,  been  per 
petrated. 

On  this  buccaneering  expedition,  Rear  Admiral  Du 
Petit  Thouars,  leaving  the  rest  of  his  squadron  at  the 
Marquesas,  —  which  had  then  been  occupied  by  his 
forces  about  five  months,  —  set  sail  for  the  doomed 
island  in  the  Reine  Blanche  frigate.  On  his  arrival,  as 
an  indemnity  for  alleged  insults  offered  to  the  flag  of 
his  country,  he  demanded  some  twenty  or  thirty  thou 
sand  dollars  to  be  placed  in  his  hands  forth  with,  and  in 
default  of  payment,  threatened  to  land  and  take  pos 
session  of  the  place. 

The  frigate,  immediately  upon  coming  to  an  anchor, 
got  springs  on  her  cables,  and  with  her  guns  cast  loose, 
and  her  men  at  their  quarters,  lay  in  the  circular  basin 
of  Papeete,  with  her  broadside  bearing  upon  the  devoted 
town ;  while  her  numerous  cutters,  hauled  in  order 
alongside,  were  ready  to  effect  a  landing  under  cover 
of  her  batteries.  She  maintained  this  belligerent  atti 
tude  for  several  days,  during  which  time  a  series  of 
informal  negotiations  were  pending,  and  wide  alarm 
spread  over  the  island.  Many  of  the  Tahitians  were  at 
first  disposed  to  resort  to  arms,  and  drive  the  invaders 


SPIRITED  CONDUCT  OF  MRS.   PRITCHARD        25 

from  their  shores  ;  but  more  pacific  and  feebler  counsels 
ultimately  prevailed.  The  unfortunate  queen,  Pomare, 
incapable  of  averting  the  impending  calamity,  terrified 
at  the  arrogance  of  the  insolent  Frenchman,  and 
driven  at  last  to  despair,  fled  by  night  in  a  canoe  to 
Emio. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  panic  there  occurred 
an  instance  of  feminine  heroism  that  I  cannot  omit  to 
record. 

In  the  grounds  of  the  famous  missionary  consul,  Prit- 
chard,  then  absent  in  London,  the  consular  flag  of  Brit 
ain  waved  as  usual  during  the  day,  from  a  lofty  staff 
planted  within  a  few  yards  of  the  beach,  and  in  full 
view  of  the  frigate.  One  morning  an  officer,  at  the 
head  of  a  party  of  men,  presented  himself  at  the  ver 
andah  of  Mr.  Pritchard's  house,  and  inquired  in  broken 
English  for  the  lady,  his  wife.  The  matron  soon  made 
her  appearance ;  and  the  polite  Frenchman,  making  one 
of  his  best  bows,  and  playing  gracefully  with  the 
aguilettes  that  danced  upon  his  breast,  proceeded  in 
courteous  accents  to  deliver  his  mission.  "  The  admiral 
desired  the  flag  to  be  hauled  down — hoped  that  it 
would  be  perfectly  agreeable  —  and  his  men  stcod  ready 
to  perform  the  duty."  —  "Tell  the  pirate,  your  mas 
ter,"  replied  the  spirited  Englishwoman,  pointing  to  the 
staff,  "  that  if  he  wishes  to  strike  those  colours,  he  mast 
come  and  perform  the  act  himself ;  I  will  suffer  no  one 
else  to  do  it."  The  lady  then  bowed  haughtily,  and 
withdrew  into  the  house.  As  the  discomfited  officer 
slowly  walked  away,  he  looked  up  at  the  flag,  and  per 
ceived  that  the  cord  by  which  it  was  elevated  to  its 
place  led  from  the  top  of  the  staff,  across  the  lawn,  to 
an  open  upper  window  of  the  mansion,  where  sat  the 


26  TYPES 

lady  from  he  had  just  parted,  tranquilly  engaged  in 
knitting.  Was  that  flag  hauled  down  ?  Mrs.  Pritchard 
thinks  not;  and  Rear  Admiral  Du  Petit  Thouars  is 
believed  to  be  of  the  same  opinion. 


AFFAIRS  ABuABD  THE  SHIP  27 


CHAPTER  IV. 

State  of  Affairs  aboard  the  Ship  —  Contents  of  her  Larder  —  Length 
of  South  Seamen's  Voyages  —  Account  of  a  Flying  Whale-man  — 
Determination  to  leave  the  Vessel  —  The  Bay  of  Nukuheva  —  The 
Typees — Invasion  of  their  Valley  by  Porter  —  Reflections  —  Glen 
of  Tior  —  Interview  between  the  Old  King  and  the  French 
Admiral. 

OUR  ship  had  not  been  many  days  in  the  harbour  of 
Nukuheva  before  I  came  to  the  determination  of  leav 
ing  her.  That  my  reasons  for  resolving  to  take  this 
step  were  numerous  and  weighty,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  I  chose  rather  to  risk  my  fortunes  among 
the  savages  of  the  island,  than  to  endure  another  voyage 
on  board  the  Dolly.  To  use  the  concise,  point-blank 
phrase  of  the  sailors,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  "  run 
away."  Now,  as  a  meaning  is  generally  attached  to 
these  two  words  no  way  nattering  to  the  individual 
to  whom  they  are  applied,  it  behoves  me,  for  the  sake 
of  my  own  character,  to  offer  some  explanation  of  my 
conduct. 

When  I  entered  on  board  the  Dolly,  I  signed,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  ship's  articles,  thereby  voluntarily 
engaging,  and  legally  binding  myself  to  serve  in  a  cer 
tain  capacity  for  the  period  of  the  voyage  ;  and,  special 
considerations  apart,  I  was  of  course  bound  to  fulfill  the 
agreement.  But  in  all  contracts,  if  one  party  fail  to 
perform  his  share  of  the  compact,  is  not  the  other  virtu' 
ally  absolved  from  his  liability  ?  Who  is  there  who  will 
not  answer  in  the  affirmative  ? 


S6  TYPEE 

Having  settled  the  principle,  then,  let  me  apply  it  to 
the  particular  case  in  question.  In  numberless  in 
stances  had  not  only  the  implied  but  the  specified  con 
ditions  of  the  articles  been  violated  on  the  part  of  the 
ship  in  which  I  served.  The  usage  on  board  of  her 
was  tyrannical ;  the  sick  had  been  inhumanly  neglected; 
the  provisions  had  been  doled  out  in  scanty  allowance ; 
aad  her  cruises  were  unreasonably  protracted.  The 
captain  was  the  author  of  these  abuses ;  it  was  in  vain 
to  think  that  he  would  either  remedy  them,  or  alter  his 
conduct,  which  was  arbitrary  and  violent  in  the 
extreme.  His  prompt  reply  to  all  complaints  and  re 
monstrances  was  —  the  but-end  of  a  hand-spike,  so  con 
vincingly  administered  as  effectually  to  silence  the 
aggrieved  party. 

To  whom  could  we  apply  for  redress  ?  We  had  left 
both  law  and  equity  on  the  other  side  of  the  Cape ;  and 
unfortunately,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  our  crew  was 
composed  of  a  parcel  of  dastardly  and  mean-spirited 
wretches,  divided  among  themselves,  and  only  united 
in  enduring  without  resistance  the  unmitigated  tyranny 
of  the  captain.  It  would  have  been  mere  madness  for 
any  two  or  three  of  the  number,  unassisted  by  the  rest, 
to  attempt  making  a  stand  against  his  ill-usage.  They 
would  only  have  called  down  upon  themselves  the  par 
ticular  vengeance  of  this  "Lord  of  the  Plank,"  and 
subjected  their  shipmates  to  additional  hardships. 

But,  after  all,  these  things  could  have  been  endured 
awhile,  had  we  entertained  the  hope  of  being  speedily 
delivered  from  them  by  the  due  completion  of  the  term 
of  our  servitude.  But  what  a  dismal  prospect  awaited 
us  in  this  quarter  !  The  longevity  of  Cape  Horn  whal 
ing  voyages  is  proverbial,  frequently  extending  over  a 
period  of  four  or  five  years. 


LENGTH  OF  SOUTH-SEA   VOYAGES  29 

Some  long-haired,  bare-necked  youths,  who,  forced  by 
the  united  influences  of  Captain  Marryatt  and  hard 
times,  embark  at  Nantucket  for  a  pleasure  excursion  to 
the  Pacific,  and  whose  anxious  mothers  provide  them 
with  bottled  milk  for  the  occasion,  oftentimes  return 
very  respectable  middle-aged  gentlemen. 

The  very  preparations  made  for  one  of  these  expedi 
tions  are  enough  to  frighten  one.  As  the  vessel  carries 
out  no  cargo,  her  hold  is  filled  with  provisions  for  her 
own  consumption.  The  owners,  who  officiate  as  cater 
ers  for  the  voyage,  supply  the  larder  with  an  abundance 
of  dainties.  Delicate  morsels  of  beef  and  pork,  cut  on 
scientific  principles  from  every  part  of  the  animal,  and 
of  all  conceivable  shapes  and  sizes,  are  carefully  packed 
in  salt,  and  stored  away  in  barrels ;  affording  a  never- 
ending  variety  in  their  different  degrees  of  toughness, 
and  in  the  peculiarities  of  their  saline  properties. 
Choice  old  water  too,  decanted  into  stout  six-barrel- 
casks,  and  two  pints  of  which  are  allowed  every  day  to 
each  soul  on  board ;  together  with  ample  store  of  sea- 
bread,  previously  reduced  to  a  state  of  petrifaction,  with 
a  view  to  preserve  it  either  from  decay  or  consumption 
in  the  ordinary  mode,  are  likewise  provided  for  the 
nourishment  and  gastronomic  enjoyment  of  the  crew. 

But  not  to  speak  of  the  quality  of  these  articles  of 
sailors'  fare,  the  abundance  in  which  they  are  put  on 
board  a  whaling  vessel  is  almost  incredible.  Often 
times,  when  we  had  occasion  to  break  out  in  the  hold, 
and  I  beheld  the  successive  tiers  of  casks  and  barrels, 
whose  contents  were  all  destined  to  be  consumed  in  due 
course  by  the  ship's  company,  my  heart  sank  within 
me. 

Although,  as  a  general  case,  a  ship  unlucky  in  falling 


30  TTPEE 

in  with  whales  continues  to  cruise  after  them  until  she 
has  barely  sufficient  provisions  remaining  to  take  her 
home,  turning  round  then  quietly  and  making  the  best 
of  her  way  to  her  friends,  yet  there  are  instances  when 
even  this  natural  obstacle  to  the  further  prosecution  of 
the  voyage  is  overcome  by  headstrong  captains,  who, 
bartering  the  fruits  of  their  hard-earned  toils  for  a  new 
supply  of  provisions  in  some  of  the  ports  of  Chili  or 
Peru,  begin  the  voyage  afresh,  with  unabated  zeal  and 
perseverance.  It  is  in  vain  that  the  owners  write 
urgent  letters  to  him  to  sail  for  home,  and  for  their 
sake  to  bring  back  the  ship,  since  it  appears  he  can  put 
nothing  in  her.  Not  he.  He  has  registered  a  vow :  he 
will  fill  his  vessel  with  good  sperm  oil,  or  failing  to  do 
so,  never  again  strike  Yankee  soundings. 

I  heard  of  one  whaler,  which  after  many  years'  ab 
sence  was  given  up  for  lost.  The  last  that  had  been 
heard  of  her  was  a  shadowy  report  of  her  having 
touched  at  some  of  those  unstable  islands  in  the  far 
Pacific,  whose  eccentric  wanderings  are  carefully  noted 
in  each  new  edition  of  the  South  Sea  charts.  After  a 
long  interval,  however,  the  Perseverance  —  for  that 
was  her  name  —  was  spoken  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  cruising  along  as  leisurely 
as  ever,  her  sails  all  bepatched  and  bequilted  with 
rope-yarns,  her  spars  fished  with  old  pipe  stores,  and  her 
rigging  knotted  and  spliced  in  every  possible  direction. 
Her  crew  was  composed  of  some  twenty  venerable 
Greenwich-pensioner-looking  old  salts,  who  just  man 
aged  to  hobble  about  deck.  The  ends  of  all  the  run 
ning  ropes,  with  the  exception  of  the  signal  halyards 
and  poop-down-haul,  were  rove  through  snatch-blocks, 
and  led  to  the  capstan  or  windlass,  so  that  not  a  yard 


LENGTH  OF  SOUTH-SEA    VOYAGES  31 

was  braced  or  a  sail  set  without  the  assistance  of 
machinery. 

Her  hull  was  incrusted  with  barnacles,  which  com 
pletely  encased  her.  Three  pet  sharks  followed  in  her 
wake,  and  every  day  came  alongside  to  regale  themselves 
from  the  contents  of  the  cook's  bucket,  which  were 
pitched  over  to  them.  A  vast  shoal  of  bonetas  and 
albicores  always  kept  her  company. 

Such  was  the  account  I  heard  of  this  vessel,  and  the 
remembrance  of  it  always  haunted  me ;  what  eventually 
became  of  her  I  never  learned ;  at  any  rate  she  never 
reached  home,  and  I  suppose  she  is  still  regularly  tack 
ing  twice  in  the  twenty-four  hours  somewhere  off  Deso 
late  Island,  or  the  Devil's-Tail  Peak. 

Having  said  thus  much  touching  the  usual  length  of 
these  voyages,  when  I  inform  the  reader  that  ours  had 
as  it  were  just  commenced,  we  being  only  fifteen  months 
out,  and  even  at  that  time  hailed  as  a  late  arrival,  and 
boarded  for  news,  he  will  readily  perceive  that  there  was 
little  to  encourage  one  in  looking  forward  to  the  future, 
especially  as  I  had  always  had  a  presentiment  that  we 
should  make  an  unfortunate  voyage,  and  our  experience- 
so  far  had  justified  the  expectation. 

I  may  here  state,  and  on  my  faith  as  an  honest  man, 
that  though  more  than  three  years  have  elapsed  since  I 
left  this  same  identical  vessel,  she  still  continues  in  the 
Pacific ;  and  but  a  few  days  since  I  saw  her  reported  in 
the  papers  as  having  touched  at  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
previous  to  going  on  the  coast  of  Japan. 

But  to  return  to  my  narrative.  Placed  in  these  cir 
cumstances  then,  with  no  prospect  of  matters  mending 
if  I  remained  aboard  the  Dolly,  I  at  once  made  up  my 
mind  to  leave  her :  to  be  sure  it  was  rather  an  inglorious 


32  TTPEE 

thing  to  steal  away  privily  from  those  at  whose  hands  I 
had  received  wrongs  and  outrages  that  I  could  not  re 
sent  ;  but  how  was  such  a  course  to  be  avoided  when  it 
was  the  only  alternative  left  me  ?  Having  made  up  my 
mind,  I  proceeded  to  acquire  all  the  information  I  could 
obtain  relating  to  the  island  and  its  inhabitants,  with  a 
view  of  shaping  my  plans  of  escape  accordingly.  The 
result  of  these  inquiries  I  will  now  state,  in  order  that 
the  ensuing  narrative  may  be  the  better  understood. 

The  bay  of  Nukuheva,  in  which  we  were  then  lying,  is 
an  expanse  of  water  not  unlike  in  figure  the  space  in 
cluded  within  the  limits  of  a  horse-shoe.  It  is,  perhaps, 
nine  miles  in  circumference.  You  approach  it  from  the 
sea  by  a  narrow  entrance,  flanked  on  either  side  by  two 
small  twin  islets  which  soar  conically  to  the  height  of 
some  five  hundred  feet.  From  these  the  shore  recedes 
on  both  hands,  and  describes  a  deep  semicircle. 

From  the  verge  of  the  water  the  land  rises  uniformly 
on  all  sides,  with  green  and  sloping  acclivities,  until 
from  gently  rolling  hill-sides  and  moderate  elevations  it 
insensibly  swells  into  lofty  and  majestic  heights,  whose 
blue  outlines,  ranged  all  around,  close  in  the  view.  The 
beautiful  aspect  of  the  shore  is  heightened  by  deep  and 
romantic  glens,  which  come  down  to  it  at  almost  equal 
distances,  all  apparently  radiating  from  a  common  cen 
tre,  and  the  upper  extremities  of  which  are  lost  to  the 
eye  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  mountains.  Down  each 
of  these  little  valleys  flows  a  clear  stream,  here  and  there 
assuming  the  form  of  a  slender  cascade,  then  stealing 
invisibly  along  until  it  bursts  upon  the  sight  again  in 
larger  and  more  noisy  waterfalls,  and  at  last  demurely 
wanders  along  to  the  sea. 

The  houses  of  the  natives,  constructed  of  the  yellow 


THE  BAT  OF  NUKUHEVA  33 

bamboo,  tastefully  twisted  together  in  a  kind  of  wicker- 
work,  and  thatched  with  the  long  tapering  leaves  of  the 
palmetto,  are  scattered  irregularly  along  these  valleys  be 
neath  the  shady  branches  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  imposing  scenery  of  this  bay. 
Viewed  from  our  ship  as  she  lay  at  anchor  in  the  middle 
of  the  harbour,  it  presented  the  appearance  of  a  vast  natu 
ral  amphitheatre  in  decay,  and  overgrown  with  vines, 
the  deep  glens  that  furrowed  its  sides  appearing  like 
enormous  fissures  caused  by  the  ravages  of  time.  Very 
often  when  lost  in  admiration  at  its  beauty,  I  have  ex 
perienced  a  pang  of  regret  that  a  scene  so  enchanting 
should  be  hidden  from  the  world  in  these  remote  seas, 
and  seldom  meet  the  eyes  of  devoted  lovers  of  nature. 

Besides  this  bay  the  shores  of  the  island  are  indented 
by  several  other  extensive  inlets,  into  which  descend  broad 
and  verdant  valleys.  These  are  inhabited  by  as  many 
distinct  tribes  of  savages,  who,  although  speaking  kin 
dred  dialects  of  a  common  language,  and  having  the 
same  religion  and  laws,  have  from  time  immemorial 
waged  hereditary  warfare  against  each  other.  The  in 
tervening  mountains,  generally  two  or  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  geographically  define  the 
territories  of  each  of  these  hostile  tribes,  who  never  cross 
them,  save  on  some  expedition  of  war  or  plunder.  Im 
mediately  adjacent  to  Nukuheva,  and  only  separated 
from  it  by  the  mountains  seen  from  the  harbour,  lies  the 
lovely  valley  of  Happar,  whose  inmates  cherish  the  most 
friendly  relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  Nukuheva. 
On  the  other  side  of  Happar,  and  closely  adjoining  it,  is 
the  magnificent  valley  of  the  dreaded  Typees,  the  unap 
peasable  enemies  of  both  these  tribes. 

These  celebrated  warriors  appear  to  inspire  the  othel 


84  TTPEE 

islanders  with  unspeakable  terrors.  Their  very  name  ia 
a  frightful  one ;  for  the  word  "  Typee  "  in  the  Marque- 
san  dialect  signifies  a  lover  of  human  flesh.  It  is  rather 
singular  that  the  title  should  have  been  bestowed  upon 
them  exclusively,  inasmuch  as  the  natives  of  all  this 
group  are  irreclaimable  cannibals.  The  name  may,  per 
haps,  have  been  given  to  denote  the  peculiar  ferocity  of 
this  clan,  and  to  convey  a  special  stigma  along  with  it. 

These  same  Typees  enjoy  a  prodigious  notoriety  all 
over  the  islands.  The  natives  of  Nukuheva  would  fre 
quently  recount  in  pantomime  to  our  ship's  company 
their  terrible  feats,  and  would  show  the  marks  of  wounds 
they  had  received  in  desperate  encounters  with  them. 
When  ashore  they  would  try  to  frighten  us  by  pointing 
to  one  of  their  own  number,  and  calling  him  a  Typee, 
manifesting  no  little  surprise  that  we  did  not  take  to  our 
heels  at  so  terrible  an  announcement.  It  was  quite 
amusing,  too,  to  see  with  what  earnestness  they  dis 
claimed  all  cannibal  propensities  on  their  own  part, 
while  they  denounced  their  enemies  —  the  Typees  —  as 
inveterate  gormandizers  of  human  flesh;  but  this  is  a 
peculiarity  to  which  I  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to 
allude. 

Although  I  was  convinced  that  the  inhabitants  of  our 
bay  were  as  arrant  cannibals  as  any  of  the  other  tribes 
on  the  island,  still  I  could  not  but  feel  a  particular  and 
most  unqualified  repugnance  to  the  aforesaid  Typees. 
Even  before  visiting  the  Marquesas,  I  had  heard  from 
men  who  had  touched  at  the  group  on  former  voyages 
some  revolting  stories  in  connection  with  these  savages ; 
and  fresh  in  my  remembrance  was  the  adventure  of  the 
master  of  the  Katherine,  who  only  a  few  months  pre 
vious,  imprudently  venturing  into  this  bay  in  an  armed 


THE  "TYPEES"   A   CLASS  OF  CANNIBALS        35 

boat  for  the  purpose  of  barter,  was  seized  by  the  natives, 
carried  back  a  little  distance  into  this  valley,  and  was 
only  saved  from  a  cruel  death  by  the  intervention  of  a 
young  girl,  who  facilitated  his  escape  by  night,  along 
the  beach  to  Nukuheva. 

I  had  heard  too,  of  an  English  vessel  that  many  years 
ago,  after  a  weary  cruise,  sought  to  enter  the  bay  of 
Nukuheva,  and  arriving  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the 
land,  was  met  by  a  large  canoe  filled  with  natives,  who 
offered  to  lead  the  way  to  the  place  of  their  destination. 
The  captain,  unacquainted  with  the  localities  of  the 
island,  joyfully  acceded  to  the  proposition  —  the  canoe 
paddled  on,  and  the  ship  followed.  She  was  soon  con 
ducted  to  a  beautiful  inlet,  and  dropped  her  anchor  in 
its  waters,  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  lofty  shore.  That 
same  night  the  perfidious  Typees,  who  had  thus  invei 
gled  her  into  their  fatal  bay,  flocked  aboard  the  doomed 
vessel  by  hundreds,  and  at  a  given  signal  murdered 
every  soul  on  board. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  observation  of  one  of  our  crew 
as  we  were  passing  slowly  by  the  entrance  of  this  bay 
on  our  way  to  Nukuheva.  As  we  stood  gazing  over  the 
side  at  the  verdant  headlands,  Ned,  pointing  with  his 
hand  in  the  direction  of  the  treacherous  valley,  ex 
claimed,  "  There — there's  Typee.  Oh,  the  bloody  can 
nibals,  what  a  meal  they'd  make  of  us  if  we  were  to 
take  it  into  our  heads  to  land !  but  they  say  they  don't 
like  sailor's  flesh,  it's  too  salt.  I  say,  maty,  how 
should  you  like  to  be  shoved  ashore  there,  eh  ?  "  I  little 
thought,  as  I  shuddered  at  the  question,  that  in  the 
space  of  a  few  weeks  I  should  actually  be  a  captive  in 
that  self-same  valley. 

The  French,  although  they  had  gone  through  the 


36  TYPES 

ceremony  of  hoisting  their  colours  for  a  few  hours  at  all 
the  principal  places  of  the  group,  had  not  as  yet  visited 
the  bay  of  Typee,  anticipating  a  fierce  resistance  on  the 
part  of  the  savages  there,  which  for  the  present  at  least 
they  wished  to  avoid.  Perhaps  they  were  not  a  little 
influenced  in  the  adoption  of  this  unusual  policy  from  a 
recollection  of  the  warlike  reception  given  by  the  Typees 
to  the  forces  of  Captain  Porter,  about  the  year  1814, 
when  that  brave  and  accomplished  officer  endeavoured 
to  subjugate  the  clan  merely  to  gratify  the  mortal  hatred 
of  his  allies  the  Nukuhevas  and  Happars. 

On  that  occasion  I  have  been  told  that  a  considerable 
detachment  of  sailors  and  marines  from  the  frigate  Essex, 
accompanied  by  at  least  two  thousand  warriors  of  Happar 
and  Nukuheva,  landed  in  boats  and  canoes  at  the  head  of 
the  bay,  and  after  penetrating  a  little  distance  into  the 
valley,  met  with  the  stoutest  resistance  from  its  inmates. 
Valiantly,  although  with  much  loss,  the  Typees  dis 
puted  every  inch  of  ground,  and  after  some  hard  fight 
ing  obliged  the  assailants  to  retreat  and  abandon  their 
design  of  conquest. 

The  invaders,  on  their  march  back  to  the  sea,  con 
soled  themselves  for  their  repulse  by  setting  fire  to 
every  house  and  temple  on  their  route ;  and  a  long  line 
of  smoking  ruins  defaced  the  once-smiling  bosom  of  the 
valley,  and  proclaimed  to  its  pagan  inhabitants  the 
spirit  that  reigned  in  the  breasts  of  Christian  soldiers. 
Who  can  wonder  at  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Typees  to 
all  foreigners  after  such  unprovoked  atrocities  ? 

Thus  it  is  that  they  whom  we  denominate  "  savages  " 
are  made  to  deserve  the  title.  When  the  inhabitants  of 
some  sequestered  island  first  descry  the  "  big  canoe  "  of 
the  European  rolling  through  the  blue  waters  towards 


REFLECTIONS  ON  EUROPEAN  CRUELTIES        37 

their  shores,  they  rush  down  to  the  beach  in  crowds, 
and  with  open  arms  stand  ready  to  embrace  the  stran 
gers.  Fatal  embrace !  They  fold  to  their  bosoms  the 
vipers  whose  sting  is  destined  to  poison  all  their  joys ; 
and  the  instinctive  feeling  of  love  within  their  breasts 
is  soon  converted  into  the  bitterest  hate. 

The  enormities  perpetrated  in  the  South  Seas  upon 
some  of  the  inoffensive  islanders  well  nigh  pass  belief. 
These  things  are  seldom  proclaimed  at  home ;  they  hap 
pen  at  the  very  ends  of  the  earth ;  they  are  done  in  a 
corner,  and  there  are  none  to  reveal  them.  But  there 
is,  nevertheless,  many  a  petty  trader  that  has  navigated 
the  Pacific,  whose  course  from  island  to  island  might  be 
traced  by  a  series  of  cold-blooded  robberies,  kidnap 
pings,  and  murders,  the  iniquity  of  which  might  be  con 
sidered  almost  sufficient  to  sink  her  guilty  timbers  to 
the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

Sometimes  vague  accounts  of  such  things  reach  our 
firesides,  and  we  coolly  censure  them  as  wrong,  impoli 
tic,  needlessly  severe,  and  dangerous  to  the  crews  of 
other  vessels.  How  different  is  our  tone  when  we  read 
the  highly  wrought  description  of  the  massacre  of  the 
crew  of  the  Hobomak  by  the  Feejees !  how  we  sympa 
thise  for  the  unhappy  victims,  and  with  what  horror  do 
we  regard  the  diabolical  heathens,  who,  after  all,  have 
but  avenged  the  unprovoked  injuries  which  they  have 
received!  We  breathe  nothing  but  vengeance,  and 
equip  armed  vessels  to  traverse  thousands  of  miles  of 
ocean  in  order  to  execute  summary  punishment  upon 
the  offenders.  On  arriving  at  their  destination,  they 
burn,  slaughter,  and  destroy,  according  to  the  tenor  of 
written  instructions,  and  sailing  away  from  the  scene  of 
devastation,  call  upon  all  Christendom  to  applaud  their 
courage  and  their  justice. 


38  TTPEE 

How  often  is  the  term  "  savages  "  incorrectly  applied ! 
None  really  deserving  of  it  were  ever  yet  discovered  by 
voyagers  or  by  travellers.  They  have  discovered 
heathens  and  barbarians,  whom  by  horrible  cruelties 
they  have  exasperated  into  savages.  It  may  be  asserted, 
without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  in  all  the  cases  of 
outrages  committed  by  Polynesians,  Europeans  have  at 
some  time  or  other  been  the  aggressors,  and  that  the 
cruel  and  bloodthirsty  disposition  of  some  of  the  island 
ers  is  mainly  to  be  ascribed  to  the  influence  of  such 
examples. 

But  to  return.  Owing  to  the  mutual  hostilities  of 
the  different  tribes  I  have  mentioned,  the  mountainous 
tracts  which  separate  their  respective  territories  remain 
altogether  uninhabited ;  the  natives  invariably  dwelling 
in  the  depths  of  the  valleys,  with  a  view  of  securing 
themselves  from  the  predatory  incursions  of  their  ene 
mies,  who  often  lurk  along  their  borders,  ready  to  cut 
off  any  imprudent  straggler,  or  make  a  descent  upon 
the  inmates  of  some  sequestered  habitation.  I  several 
times  met  with  very  aged  men,  who  from  this  cause  had 
never  passed  the  confines  of  their  native  vale,  some  of 
them  having  never  even  ascended  midway  up  the 
mountains  in  the  whole  course  of  their  lives,  and  who, 
accordingly,  had  little  idea  of  the  appearance  of  any 
other  part  of  the  island,  the  whole  of  which  is  not  per 
haps  more  than  sixty  miles  in  circuit.  The  little  space 
in  which  some  of  these  clans  pass  away  their  days 
would  seem  almost  incredible. 

The  glen  of  Toir  will  furnish  a  curious  illustration  of 
this.  The  inhabited  part  is  not  more  than  four  miles  in 
length,  and  varies  in  breadth  from  half  a  mile  to  less 
than  a  quarter.  The  rocky  vine-clad  cliffs  on  one  side 


THE  VALLEY  OF  TIOR  39 

tower  almost  perpendicularly  from  their  base  to  the 
height  of  at  least  fifteen  hundred  feet ;  while  across  the 
vale,  —  in  striking  contrast  to  the  scenery  opposite,  — 
grass-grown  elevations  rise  one  above  another  in  bloom 
ing  terraces.  Hemmed  in  by  these  stupendous  barriers, 
the  valley  would  be  altogether  shut  out  from  the  rest  of 
the  world,  were  it  not  that  it  is  accessible  from  the  sea 
at  one  end,  and  by  a  narrow  defile  at  the  other. 

The  impression  produced  upon  my  mind,  when  I  first 
visited  this  beautiful  glen,  will  never  be  obliterated. 

I  had  come  from  Nukuheva  by  water  in  the  ship's 
boat,  and  when  we  entered  the  bay  of  Tior  it  was  high 
noon.  The  heat  had  been  intense,  as  we  had  been 
floating  upon  the  long  smooth  swell  of  the  ocean,  for 
there  was  but  little  wind.  The  sun's  rays  had  expended 
all  their  fury  upon  us  ;  and  to  add  to  our  discomfort, 
we  had  omitted  to  supply  ourselves  with  water  pre 
vious  to  starting.  What  with  heat  and  thirst  together, 
I  became  so  impatient  to  get  ashore,  that  when  at  last 
we  glided  towards  it,  I  stood  up  in  the  bow  of  the  boat 
ready  for  a  spring.  As  she  shot  two-thirds  of  her 
length  high  upon  the  beach,  propelled  by  three  or  four 
strong  strokes  of  the  oars,  I  leaped  among  a  parcel  of 
juvenile  savages,  who  stood  prepared  to  give  us  a  kind 
reception ;  and  with  them  at  my  heels,  yelling  like  so 
many  imps,  I  rushed  forward  across  the  open  ground  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  plunged,  diver  fashion,  into 
the  recesses  of  the  first  grove  that  offered. 

What  a  delightful  sensation  did  I  experience  !  I  felt 
as  if  floating  in  some  new  element,  while  all  sorts  of 
gurgling,  trickling,  liquid  sounds  fell  upon  my  ear* 
People  may  say  what  they  will  about  the  refreshing 
influences  of  a  cold-water  bath,  but  commend  me  when 


40  TYPEE 

in  a  perspiration  to  the  shade  baths  of  Tior,  beneath  the 
cocoa-nut  trees,  and  amidst  the  cool  delightful  atmos 
phere  which  surrounds  them. 

How  shall  I  describe  the  scenery  that  met  my  eye,  as 
I  looked  out  from  this  verdant  recess  !  The  narrow 
valley,  with  its  steep  and  close  adjoining  sides  dra- 
peried  with  vines,  and  arched  overhead  with  a  fret-work 
of  interlacing  boughs,  nearly  hidden  from  view  by 
masses  of  leafy  verdure,  seemed  from  where  I  stood  like 
an  immense  arbour  disclosing  its  vista  to  the  eye,  whilst 
as  I  advanced  it  insensibly  widened  into  the  loveliest 
vale  eye  ever  beheld. 

It  so  happened  that  the  very  day  I  was  in  Tior  the 
French  admiral,  attended  by  all  the  boats  of  his  squad 
ron,  came  down  in  state  from  Nukuheva  to  take  formal 
possession  of  the  place.  He  remained  in  the  valley 
about  two  hours,  during  which  time  he  had  a  ceremo 
nious  interview  with  the  king.  The  patriarch-sovereign 
of  Tior  was  a  man  very  far  advanced  in  years;  but 
though  age  had  bowed  his  form  and  rendered  him 
almost  decrepit,  his  gigantic  frame  retained  all  its  ori 
ginal  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  appearance.  He 
advanced  slowly  and  with  evident  pain,  assisting  his 
tottering  steps  with  the  heavy  war-spear  he  held  in  his 
hand,  and  attended  by  a  group  of  grey-bearded  chiefs, 
on  one  of  whom  he  occasionally  leaned  for  support. 
The  admiral  came  forward  with  head  uncovered  and 
extended  hand,  while  the  old  king  saluted  him  by  a 
stately  flourish  of  his  weapon.  The  next  moment  they 
stood  side  by  side,  these  two  extremes  in  the  social 
scale,  —  the  polished,  splendid  Frenchman,  and  the 
poor  tattooed  savage.  They  were  both  tall  and  noble 
looking  men ;  but  in  other  respects  how  strikingly  con 


OLD  KING  AND  FRENCH  ADMIRAL  41 

trasted !  Du  Petit  Thouars  exhibited  upon  his  person 
all  the  paraphernalia  of  his  naval  rank.  He  wore  a 
richly  decorated  admiral's  frock-coat,  a  laced  chapeau 
bras,  and  upon  his  breast  were  a  variety  of  ribbons  and 
orders ;  while  the  simple  islander,  with  the  exception 
of  a  slight  cincture  about  his  loins,  appeared  in  all  the 
nakedness  of  nature. 

At  what  immeasurable  distance,  thought  I,  are  these 
two  beings  removed  from  each  other.  In  the  one  is 
shown  the  result  of  long  centuries  of  progressive  civili 
sation  and  refinement,  which  have  gradually  converted 
the  mere  creature  into  the  semblance  of  all  that  is  ele 
vated  and  grand;  while  the  other,  after  the  lapse  of 
the  same  period,  has  not  advanced  one  step  in  the 
career  of  improvement.  "  Yet,  after  all,"  quoth  I  to 
myself,  "insensible  as  he  is  to  a  thousand  wants,  and 
removed  from  harassing  cares,  may  not  the  savage  be 
the  happier  man  of  the  two  ?  "  Such  were  the  thoughts 
that  arose  in  my  mind  as  I  gazed  upon  the  novel  spec 
tacle  before  me.  In  truth  it  was  an  impressive  one, 
and  little  likely  to  be  effaced.  I  can  recall  even  now 
with  vivid  distinctness  every  feature  of  the  scene.  The 
umbrageous  shades  where  the  interview  took  place, 
the  glorious  tropical  vegetation  around,  the  pictu 
resque  grouping  of  the  mingled  throng  of  soldiery  and 
natives,  and  even  the  golden-hued  bunch  of  banannas 
that  I  held  in  my  hand  at  the  time,  and  of  which  I 
occasionally  partook  while  making  the  aforesaid  philo 
sophical  reflections. 


42  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  V. 

Thoughts  previous  to  attempting  an  Escape  —  Toby,  a  Fellow  Sailor, 
agrees  to  share  the  Adventure  — -"Last  Night  aboard  the  Ship. 

HAVING  fully  resolved  to  leave  the  vessel  clandes 
tinely,  and  having  acquired  all  the  knowledge  concern 
ing  the  bay  that  I  could  obtain  under  the  circumstances 
in  which  I  was  placed,  I  now  deliberately  turned  over 
in  my  mind  every  plan  of  escape  that  suggested  itself, 
being  determined  to  act  with  all  possible  prudence  in 
an  attempt  where  failure  would  be  attended  with  so 
many  disagreeable  consequences.  The  idea  of  being 
taken  and  brought  back  ignominiously  to  the  ship  was 
so  inexpressibly  repulsive  to  me,  that  I  was  determined 
by  no  hasty  and  imprudent  measures  to  render  such  an 
event  probable. 

I  knew  that  our  worthy  captain,  who  felt  such  a 
paternal  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  his  crew,  would 
not  willingly  consent  that  one  of  his  best  hands  should 
encounter  the  perils  of  a  sojourn  among  the  natives  of  a 
barbarous  island ;  and  I  was  certain  that  in  the  event 
of  my  disappearance,  his  fatherly  anxiety  would  prompt 
him  to  offer,  by  way  of  a  reward,  yard  upon  yard  of 
gayly  printed  calico  for  my  apprehension.  He  might 
even  have  appreciated  my  services  at  the  value  of  a 
musket,  in  which  case  I  felt  perfectly  certain  that  the 
whole  population  of  the  bay  would  be  immediately  upon 
my  track,  incited  by  the  prospect  of  so  magnificent  a 
bounty. 


THOUGHTS  PREVIOUS   TO  ESCAPE  43 

Having  ascertained  the  fact  before  alluded  to,  that 
the  islanders,  from  motives  of  precaution,  dwelt  alto 
gether  in  the  depths  of  the  valleys,  and  avoided  wan 
dering  about  the  more  elevated  portions  of  the  shore, 
unless  bound  on  some  expedition  of  war  or  plunder,  I 
concluded  that  if  I  could  effect  unperceived  a  passage 
to  the  mountains,  I  might  easily  remain  among  them, 
supporting  myself  by  such  fruits  as  came  in  my  way 
until  the  sailing  of  the  ship,  an  event  of  which  I  could 
not  fail  to  be  immediately  apprised,  as  from  my  lofty 
position  I  should  command  a  view  of  the  entire  harbour. 

The  idea  pleased  me  greatly.  It  seemed  to  combine 
a  great  deal  of  practicability  with  no  inconsiderable 
enjoyment  in  a  quiet  way ;  for  how  delightful  it  would 
be  to  look  down  upon  the  detested  old  vessel  from  the 
height  of  some  thousand  feet,  and  contrast  the  verdant 
scenery  about  me  with  the  recollection  of  her  narrow 
decks  and  gloomy  forecastle !  Why,  it  was  really  re 
freshing  even  to  think  of  it ;  and  so  I  straightway  fell 
to  picturing  myself  seated  beneath  a  cocoa-nut  tree  on 
the  brow  of  the  mountain,  with  a  cluster  of  plantains 
within  easy  reach,  criticising  her  nautical  evolutions  as 
she  was  working  her  way  out  of  the  harbour. 

To  be  sure  there  was  one  rather  unpleasant  drawback 
to  these  agreeable  anticipations  —  the  possibility  of  fall 
ing  in  with  a  foraging  party  of  these  same  bloody-minded 
Typees,  whose  appetites,  edged  perhaps  by  the  air  of  so 
elevated  a  region,  might  prompt  them  to  devour  one. 
This,  I  must  confess,  was  a  most  disagreeable  view  of 
the  matter. 

Just  to  think  of  a  party  of  these  unnatural  gour 
mands  taking  it  into  their  heads  to  make  a  convivial 
meal  of  a  poor  devil,  who  would  have  no  means  of 


44  TYPES 

escape  or  defence :  however,  there  was  no  help  for  it. 
I  was  willing  to  encounter  some  risks  in  order  to  accom 
plish  my  object,  and  counted  much  upon  my  ability  to 
elude  these  prowling  cannibals  amongst  the  many 
coverts  which  the  mountains  afforded.  Besides,  the 
chances  were  ten  to  one  in  my  favour  that  they  would 
none  of  them  quit  their  own  fastnesses. 

I  had  determined  not  to  communicate  my  design  of 
withdrawing  from  the  vessel  to  any  of  my  shipmates, 
and  least  of  all  to  solicit  any  one  to  accompany  me  in 
my  flight.  But  it  so  happened  one  night,  that  being 
upon  deck,  revolving  over  in  my  mind  various  plans  of 
escape,  I  perceived  one  of  the  ship's  company  leaning 
over  the  bulwarks,  apparently  plunged  in  a  profound 
reverie.  He  was  a  young  fellow  about  my  own  age,  for 
whom  I  had  all  along  entertained  a  great  regard ;  and 
Toby,  such  was  the  name  by  which  he  went  among  us, 
for  his  real  name  he  would  never  tell  us,  was  every  way 
worthy  of  it.  He  was  active,  ready,  and  obliging,  of 
dauntless  courage,  and  singularly  open  and  fearless  in 
the  expression  of  his  feelings.  I  had  on  more  than  one 
occasion  got  him  out  of  scrapes  into  which  this  had  led 
him ;  and  I  know  not  whether  it  was  from  this  cause, 
or  a  certain  congeniality  of  sentiment  between  us,  that 
he  had  always  shown  a  partiality  for  my  society.  We 
had  battled  out  many  a  long  watch  together,  beguiling 
the  weary  hours  with  chat,  song,  and  story,  mingled  with 
a  good  many  imprecations  upon  the  hard  destiny  it 
seemed  our  common  fortune  to  encounter. 

Toby,  like  myself,  had  evidently  moved  in  a  different 
sphere  of  life,  and  his  conversation  at  times  betrayed 
this,  although  he  was  anxious  to  conceal  it.  He  was 
one  of  that  class  of  rovers  you  sometimes  meet  at  sea, 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TOBY  45 

who  never  reveal  their  origin,  never  allude  to  home, 
and  go  rambling  over  the  world  as  if  pursued  by  some 
mysterious  fate  they  cannot  possibly  elude. 

There  was  much  even  in  the  appearance  of  Toby 
calculated  to  draw  me  towards  him,  for  while  the 
greater  part  of  the  crew  were  as  coarse  in  person  as 
in  mind,  Toby  was  endowed  with  a  remarkably  pre 
possessing  exterior.  Arrayed  in  his  blue  frock  and 
duck  trousers,  he  was  as  smart  a  looking  sailor  as  ever 
stepped  upon  a  deck  ;  he  was  singularly  small  and 
slightly  made,  with  great  flexibility  of  limb.  His 
naturally  dark  complexion  had  been  deepened  by  ex 
posure  to  the  tropical  sun,  and  a  mass  of  jetty  locks 
clustered  about  his  temples,  and  threw  a  darker  shade 
into  his  large  black  eyes.  He  was  a  strange  wayward 
being,  moody,  fitful,  and  melancholy  —  at  times  almost 
morose.  He  had  a  quick  and  fiery  temper  too,  which, 
when  thoroughly  roused,  transported  him  into  a  state 
bordering  on  delirium. 

It  is  strange  the  power  that  a  mind  of  deep  passion 
has  over  feebler  natures.  I  have  seen  a  brawny  fel 
low,  with  no  lack  of  ordinary  courage,  fairly  quail 
before  this  slender  stripling,  when  in  one  of  his  furious 
fits.  But  these  paroxysms  seldom  occurred,  and  in 
them  my  big-hearted  shipmate  vented  the  bile  which 
more  calm-tempered  individuals  get  rid  of  by  a  con 
tinual  pettishness  at  trivial  annoyances. 

No  one  ever  saw  Toby  laugh ;  I  mean  in  the  hearty 
abandonment  of  broad-mouthed  mirth.  He  did  smile 
sometimes,  it  is  true ;  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  dry, 
sarcastic  humour  about  him,  which  told  the  more  from 
the  imperturbable  gravity  of  his  tone  and  manner. 

Latterly  I  had  observed  that  Toby's  melancholy  had 


46  TTPEE 

greatly  increased*  and  I  had  frequently  seen  him  since 
our  arrival  at  the  island  gazing  wistfully  upon  the 
shore,  when  the  remainder  of  the  crew  would  be  rioting 
below.  I  was  aware  that  he  entertained  a  cordial  detes 
tation  of  the  ship,  and  believed  that,  should  a  fair 
chance  of  escape  present  itself,  he  would  embrace  it 
willingly.  But  the  attempt  was  so  perilous  in  the 
place  where  we  then  lay,  that  I  supposed  myself  the 
only  individual  on  board  the  ship  who  was  sufficiently 
reckless  to  think  of  it.  In  this,  however,  I  was 
mistaken. 

When  I  perceived  Toby  leaning,  as  I  have  mentioned, 
against  the  bulwarks  and  buried  in  thought,  it  struck 
me  at  once  that  the  subject  of  his  meditations  might 
be  the  same  as  my  own.  And  if  it  be  so,  thought  I,  is 
he  not  the  very  one  of  all  my  shipmates  whom  I  would 
choose  for  the  partner  of  my  adventure  ?  and  why 
should  I  not  have  some  comrade  with  me  to  divide  its 
dangers  and  alleviate  its  hardships  ?  Perhaps  I  might 
be  obliged  to  lie  concealed  among  the  mountains  for 
weeks.  In  such  an  event  what  a  solace  would  a  com 
panion  be  ! 

These  thoughts  passed  rapidly  through  my  mind,  and 
I  wondered  why  I  had  not  before  considered  the  matter 
in  this  light.  But  it  was  not  too  late.  A  tap  upon 
the  shoulder  served  to  rouse  Toby  from  his  reverie ;  I 
found  him  ripe  for  the  enterprise,  and  a  very  few  words 
sufficed  for  a  mutual  understanding  between  us.  In  an 
hour's  time  we  had  arranged  all  the  preliminaries,  and 
decided  upon  our  plan  of  action.  We  then  ratified  our 
engagement  with  an  affectionate  wedding  of  palms, 
and  to  elude  suspicion  repaired  each  to  his  hammock, 
to  spend  the  last  night  on  board  the  Dolly. 


PLANNING  THEIR  ESCAPE  47 

The  next  day  the  starboard  watch,  to  which  we  both 
belonged,  was  to  be  sent  ashore  on  liberty  ;  and,  avail 
ing  ourselves  of  this  opportunity,  we  determined,  as 
soon  after  landing  as  possible,  to  separate  ourselves 
from  the  rest  of  the  men  without  exciting  their  suspi 
cions,  and  strike  back  at  once  for  the  mountains.  Seen 
from  the  ship,  their  summits  appeared  inaccessible,  but 
here  and  there  sloping  spurs  extended  from  them  almost 
into  the  sea,  buttressing  the  lofty  elevations  with  which 
they  were  connected,  and  forming  those  radiating 
valleys  I  have  before  described.  One  of  these  ridges, 
which  appeared  more  practicable  than  the  rest,  we  de 
termined  to  climb,  convinced  that  it  would  conduct  us 
to  the  heights  beyond.  Accordingly,  we  carefully 
observed  its  bearings  and  locality  from  the  ship,  so  that 
when  ashore  we  should  run  no  chance  of  missing  it. 

In  all  this  the  leading  object  we  had  in  view  was 
to  seclude  ourselves  from  sight  until  the  departure  of 
the  vessel ;  then  to  take  our  chance  as  to  the  reception 
the  Nukuhe va  natives  might  give  us ;  and  after  remain 
ing  upon  the  island  as  long  as  we  found  our  stay  agree 
able,  to  leave  it  the  first  favourable  opportunity  that 
offered. 


48  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A.  Specimen  of  Nautical  Oratory  —  Criticism  of  the  Sailors  — The 
Starboard  Watch  are  given  a  Holiday  —  The  Escape  to  the 
Mountains. 

EARLY  the  next  morning  the  starboard  watch  were 
mustered  upon  the  quarter-deck,  and  our  worthy  cap 
tain,  standing  in  the  cabin  gangway,  harangued  us  as 
follows :  — 

"  Now,  men,  as  we  are  just  off  a  six  months'  cruise, 
and  have  got  through  most  all  our  work  in  port  here,  I 
suppose  you  want  to  go  ashore.  Well,  I  mean  to  give 
your  watch  liberty  to-day,  so  you  may  get  ready  as  soon 
as  you  please,  and  go  ;  but  understand  this,  I  am  going 
to  give  you  liberty  because  I  suppose  you  would  growl 
like  so  many  old  quarter  gunners  if  I  didn't;  at  the 
same  time,  if  you'll  take  my  advice,  every  mother's 
son  of  you  will  stay  aboard,  and  keep  out  of  the  way  of 
the  bloody  cannibals  altogether.  Ten  to  one,  men,  if 
you  go  ashore,  you  will  get  into  some  infernal  row,  and 
that  will  be  the  end  of  you ;  for  if  those  tattooed  scoun 
drels  get  you  a  little  ways  back  into  their  valleys,  they'll 
nab  you  —  that  you  may  be  certain  of.  Plenty  of  white 
men  have  gone  ashore  here  and  never  been  seen  any 
more.  There  was  the  old  Dido,  she  put  in  here  about 
two  years  ago,  and  sent  one  watch  off  on  liberty ;  they 
never  were  heard  of  again  for  a  week — the  natives 
swore  they  didn't  know  where  they  were  —  and  only 
three  of  them  ever  got  back  to  the  ship  again,  and  one 


CRITICISMS  OF  TEE  SAILORS  49 

with  his  face  damaged  for  life,  for  the  cursed  heathens 
tattooed  a  broad  patch  clean  across  his  figure-head. 
But  it  will  be  no  use  talking  to  you,  for  go  you  will, 
that  I  see  plainly  ;  so  all  I  have  to  say  is,  that  you  need 
not  blame  me  if  the  islanders  make  a  meal  of  you.  You 
may  stand  some  chance  of  escaping  them  though,  if  you 
keep  close  about  the  French  encampment,  and  are  back 
to  the  ship  again  before  sunset.  Keep  that  much  in 
your  mind,  if  you  forget  all  the  rest  I've  been  saying  to 
you.  There,  go  forward ;  bear  a  hand  and  rig  yourselves, 
and  stand  by  for  a  call.  At  two  bells  the  boat  will  be 
manned  to  take  you  off,  and  the  Lord  have  mercy  on 
you!" 

Various  were  the  emotions  depicted  upon  the  counte 
nances  of  the  starboard  watch  whilst  listening  to  this 
address ;  but  on  its  conclusion  there  was  a  general  move 
towards  the  forecastle,  and  we  soon  were  all  busily  en 
gaged  in  getting  ready  for  the  holiday  so  auspiciously 
announced  by  the  skipper.  During  these  preparations 
his  harangue  was  commented  upon  in  no  very  measured 
terms ;  and  one  of  the  party,  after  denouncing  him  as  a 
lying  old  son  of  a  sea-cook  who  begrudged  a  fellow  a 
few  hours'  liberty,  exclaimed  with  an  oath,  "  But  you 
don't  bounce  me  out  of  my  liberty,  old  chap,  for  all 
your  yarns ;  for  I  would  go  ashore  if  every  pebble  on 
the  beach  was  a  live  coal,  and  every  stick  a  gridiron, 
and  the  cannibals  stood  ready  to  broil  me  on  landing." 

The  spirit  of  this  sentiment  was  responded  to  by  all 
hands,  and  we  resolved  that  in  spite  of  the  captain's 
croakings  we  would  make  a  glorious  day  of  it. 

But  Toby  and  I  had  our  own  game  to  play,  and  we 
availed  ourselves  of  the  confusion  which  always  reigns 
among  a  ship's  company  preparatory  to  going  ashore,  to 


50  TTPEE 

confer  together  and  complete  our  arrangements.  As 
our  object  was  to  effect  as  rapid  a  flight  as  possible  to 
the  mountains,  we  determined  not  to  encumber  ourselves 
with  any  superfluous  apparel;  and  accordingly,  while 
the  rest  were  rigging  themselves  out  with  some  idea  of 
making  a  display,  we  were  content  to  put  on  new  stout 
duck  trousers,  serviceable  pumps,  and  heavy  Havre- 
frocks,  which  with  a  Payta  hat  completed  our  equip 
ment. 

When  our  shipmates  wondered  at  this,  Toby  exclaimed 
in  his  odd,  grave  way  that  the  rest  might  do  as  they 
liked,  but  that  he  for  one  preserved  his  go-ashore  traps 
for  the  Spanish  Main,  where  the  tie  of  a  sailor's  necker 
chief  might  make  some  difference ;  but  as  for  a  parcel 
of  unbreeched  heathen,  he  wouldn't  go  to  the  bottom  of 
his  chest  for  any  of  them,  and  was  half  disposed  to 
appear  among  them  in  buff  himself.  The  men  laughed 
at  what  they  thought  was  one  of  his  strange  conceits, 
and  so  we  escaped  suspicion. 

It  may  appear  singular  that  we  should  have  been  thus 
on  our  guard  with  our  own  shipmates ;  but  there  were 
some  among  us  who,  had  they  possessed  the  least  ink 
ling  of  our  project,  would,  for  a  paltry  hope  of  reward, 
have  immediately  communicated  it  to  the  captain. 

As  soon  as  two  bells  were  struck,  the  word  was  passed 
for  the  liberty-men  to  get  into  the  boat.  I  lingered 
behind  in  the  forecastle  a  moment,  to  take  a  parting 
glance  at  its  familiar  features,  and  just  as  I  was  about 
to  ascend  to  the  deck,  my  eye  happened  to  light  on  the 
bread-barge  and  beef-kid,  which  contained  the  remnants 
of  our  last  hasty  meal.  Although  I  had  never  before 
thought  of  providing  anything  in  the  way  of  food  for 
our  expedition,  as  I  fully  relied  upon  the  fruits  of  the 


8TARBOAED   WATCH  ARE  GIVEN  A  HOLIDAY      51 

island  to  sustain  us  wherever  we  might  wander,  yet  I 
could  not  resist  the  inclination  I  felt  to  provide  luncheon 
from  the  relics  before  me.  Accordingly  I  took  a  double 
handful  of  those  small,  broken,  flinty  bits  of  biscuit, 
which  generally  go  by  the  name  of  "  midshipman's  nuts," 
and  thrust  them  into  the  bosom  of  my  frock ;  in  which 
same  ample  receptacle  I  had  previously  stowed  away 
several  pounds  of  tobacco  and  a  few  yards  of  cotton 
cloth  —  articles  with  which  I  intended  to  purchase  the 
good-will  of  the  natives,  as  soon  as  we  should  appear 
among  them  after  the  departure  of  our  vessel. 

This  last  addition  to  my  stock  caused  a  considerable 
protuberance  in  front,  which  I  abated  in  a  measure  by 
shaking  the  bits  of  bread  around  my  waist,  and  distrib 
uting  the  plugs  of  tobacco  among  the  folds  of  the 
garment. 

Hardly  had  I  completed  these  arrangements  when  my 
name  was  sung  out  by  a  dozen  voices,  and  I  sprung 
upon  the  deck,  where  I  found  all  the  party  in  the  boat, 
and  impatient  to  shove  off.  I  dropped  over  the  side,  and 
seated  myself  with  the  rest  of  the  watch  in  the  stern 
sheets,  while  the  poor  larboarders  shipped  their  oars,  and 
commenced  pulling  us  ashore. 

This  happened  to  be  the  rainy  season  at  the  islands, 
and  the  heavens  had  nearly  the  whole  morning  beto 
kened  one  of  those  heavy  showers  which  during  this 
period  so  frequently  occur.  The  large  drops  fell  bub 
bling  into  the  water  shortly  after  our  leaving  the  ship, 
and  by  the  time  we  had  effected  a  landing  it  poured 
down  in  torrents.  We  fled  for  shelter  under  cover  of 
an  immense  canoe-house  which  stood  hard  by  the  beach, 
and  waited  for  the  first  fury  of  the  storm  to  pass. 

It  continued,  however,   without   cessation;  and  the 


52  TTPEE 

monotonous  beating  of  the  rain  over  head  began  to  exert 
a  drowsy  influence  upon  the  men,  who,  throwing  them 
selves  here  and  there  upon  the  large  war-canoes,  after 
chatting  awhile,  all  fell  asleep. 

This  was  the  opportunity  we  desired,  and  Toby  and 
I  availed  ourselves  of  it  at  once  by  stealing  out  of  the 
canoe-house  and  plunging  into  the  depths  of  an  ex 
tensive  grove  that  was  in  its  rear.  After  ten  minutes' 
rapid  progress  we  gained  an  open  space  from  which  we 
could  just  descry  the  ridge  we  intended  to  mount  loom 
ing  dimly  through  the  mists  of  the  tropical  shower, 
and  distant  from  us,  as  we  estimated,  something  more 
than  a  mile.  Our  direct  course  towards  it  lay  through 
a  rather  populous  part  of  the  bay ;  but  desirous  as  we 
were  of  evading  the  natives,  and  securing  an  un 
molested  retreat  to  the  mountains,  we  determined,  by 
taking  a  circuit  through  some  extensive  thickets,  to 
avoid  their  vicinity  altogether. 

The  heavy  rain  that  still  continued  to  fall  without 
intermission  favoured  our  enterprise,  as  it  drove  the 
islanders  into  their  houses,  and  prevented  any  casual 
meeting  with  them.  Our  heavy  frocks  soon  became 
completely  saturated  with  water,  and  by  their  weight, 
and  that  of  the  articles  we  had  concealed  beneath  them, 
not  a  little  impeded  our  progress.  But  it  was  no  time 
to  pause  when  at  any  moment  we  might  be  surprised 
by  a  body  of  the  savages,  and  forced  at  the  very  outset 
to  relinquish  our  undertaking. 

Since  leaving  the  canoe-house  we  had  scarcely  ex 
changed  a  single  syllable  with  one  another ;  but  when 
we  entered  a  second  narrow  opening  in  the  wood,  and 
again  caught  sight  of  the  ridge  before  us,  I  took  Toby 
by  the  arm,  and  pointing  along  its  sloping  outline  to 


THEIR  ESCAPE  53 

the  lofty  heights  at  its  extremity,  said  in  a  low  tone, 
"  Now  Toby,  not  a  word,  nor  a  glance  backward,  till 
we  stand  on  the  summit  of  yonder  mountain  —  so  no 
more  lingering,  but  let  us  shove  ahead  while  we  can, 
and  in  a  few  hours'  time  we  may  laugh  aloud.  You 
are  the  lightest  and  the  nimblest,  so  lead  on,  and  I  will 
follow." 

"  All  right,  brother,"  said  Toby,  "  quick's  our  play ; 
only  let's  keep  close  together,  that's  all ; "  and  so  say 
ing,  with  a  bound  like  a  young  roe,  he  cleared  a  brook 
which  ran  across  our  path,  and  rushed  forward  with  a 
quick  step. 

When  we  arrived  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
ridge,  we  were  stopped  by  a  mass  of  tall  yellow  reeds, 
growing  together  as  thickly  as  they  could  stand,  and  as 
tough  and  stubborn  as  so  many  rods  of  steel ;  and  we 
perceived,  to  our  chagrin,  that  they  extended  midway 
up  the  elevation  we  purposed  to  ascend. 

For  a  moment  we  gazed  about  us  in  quest  of  a  more 
practicable  route ;  it  was,  however,  at  once  apparent 
that  there  was  no  resource  but  to  pierce  this  thicket  of 
canes  at  all  hazards.  We  now  reversed  our  order  of 
march,  I,  being  the  heaviest,  taking  the  lead,  with  a 
view  of  breaking  a  path  through  the  obstruction,  while 
Toby  fell  into  the  rear. 

Two  or  three  times  I  endeavoured  to  insinuate  myself 
between  the  canes,  and  by  dint  of  coaxing  and  bending 
them  to  make  some  progress ;  but  a  bull-frog  might  as 
well  have  tried  to  work  a  passage  through  the  teeth 
of  a  comb,  and  I  gave  up  the  attempt  in  despair. 

Half  wild  with  meeting  an  obstacle  we  had  so  little 
anticipated,  I  threw  myself  desperately  against  it, 
crushing  to  the  ground  the  canes  with  which  I  came 


64  TTPEE 

in  contact ;  and,  rising  to  my  feet  again,  repeated  the 
action  with  like  effect.  Twenty  minutes  of  this  violent 
exercise  almost  exhausted  me,  but  it  carried  us  some 
way  into  the  thicket ;  when  Toby,  who  had  been  reap 
ing  the  benefit  of  my  labours  by  following  close  at 
my  heels,  proposed  to  become  pioneer  in  turn,  and  ac 
cordingly  passed  ahead  with  a  view  of  affording  me  a 
respite  from  my  exertions.  As  however  with  his  slight 
frame  he  made  but  bad  work  of  it,  I  was  soon  obliged 
to  resume  my  old  place  again. 

On  we  toiled,  the  perspiration  starting  from  our 
bodies  in  floods,  our  limbs  torn  and  lacerated  with  the 
splintered  fragments  of  the  broken  canes,  until  we  had 
proceeded  perhaps  as  far  as  the  middle  of  the  brake, 
when  suddenly  it  ceased  raining,  and  the  atmosphere 
around  us  became  close  and  sultry  beyond  expression. 
The  elasticity  of  the  reeds,  quickly  recovering  from 
the  temporary  pressure  of  our  bodies,  caused  them  to 
spring  back  to  their  original  position  ;  so  that  they 
closed  in  upon  us  as  we  advanced,  and  prevented  the 
circulation  of  the  little  air  which  might  otherwise  have 
reached  us.  Besides  this,  their  great  height  completely 
shut  us  out  from  the  view  of  surrounding  objects,  and 
we  were  not  certain  but  that  we  might  have  been  going 
all  the  time  in  a  wrong  direction. 

Fatigued  with  my  long-continued  efforts,  and  panting 
for  breath,  I  felt  myself  completely  incapacitated  for 
any  further  exertion.  I  rolled  up  the  sleeve  of  my 
frock,  and  squeezed  the  moisture  it  contained  into  my 
parched  mouth.  But  the  few  drops  I  managed  to  ob 
tain  gave  me  little  relief,  and  I  sunk  down  for  a  moment 
with  a  sort  of  dogged  apathy,  from  which  I  was  aroused 
by  Toby,  who  had  devised  a  plan  to  free  us  from  the 
net  in  which  we  had  become  entangled. 


THEIR  ESCAPE  55 

He  was  laying  about  him  lustily  with  his  sheath-knife, 
lopping  the  canes  right  and  left,  like  a  reaper,  and  soon 
made  quite  a  clearing  around  us.  This  sight  reani 
mated  me,  and  seizing  my  own  knife,  I  hacked  and 
hewed  away  without  mercy.  But  alas  !  the  farther  we 
advanced,  the  thicker  and  taller,  and  apparently  the 
more  interminable,  the  reeds  became. 

I  began  to  think  we  were  fairly  snared,  and  had  al 
most  made  up  my  mind  that  without  a  pair  of  wings  we 
should  never  be  able  to  escape  from  the  toils ;  when  all 
at  once  I  discerned  a  peep  of  daylight  through  the  canea 
on  my  right,  and,  communicating  the  joyful  tidings  to 
Toby,  we  both  fell  to  with  fresh  spirit,  and  speedily 
opening  a  passage  towards  it,  we  found  ourselves  clear 
of  perplexities,  and  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the  ridge. 

After  resting  for  a  few  moments  we  began  the  ascent, 
and  after  a  little  vigorous  climbing  found  ourselves 
close  to  its  summit.  Instead  however  of  walking  along 
its  ridge,  where  we  should  have  been  in  full  view  of  the 
natives  in  the  vales  beneath,  and  at  a  point  where  they 
could  easily  intercept  us  were  they  so  inclined,  we  cau 
tiously  advanced  on  one  side,  crawling  on  our  hands 
and  knees,  and  screened  from  observation  by  the  grass 
through  which  we  glided,  much  in  the  fashion  of  a 
couple  of  serpents.  After  an  hour  employed  in  this  un 
pleasant  kind  of  locomotion,  we  started  to  our  feet  again 
and  pursued  our  way  boldly  along  the  crest  of  the  ridge. 

This  salient  spur  of  the  lofty  elevations  that  encom 
passed  the  bay,  rose  with  a  sharp  angle  from  the  valleys 
at  its  base,  and  presented,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
steep  acclivities,  the  appearance  of  a  vast  inclined  plane, 
sweeping  down  towards  the  sea  from  the  heights  in  the 
distance.  We  had  ascended  it  near  the  place  of  its  ter- 


56  TTPEE 

mination  and  at  its  lowest  point,  and  now  saw  our  route 
to  the  mountains  distinctly  denned  along  its  narrow 
crest,  which  was  covered  with  a  soft  carpet  of  verdure, 
and  was  in  many  parts  only  a  few  feet  wide. 

Elated  with  the  success  which  had  so  far  attended 
our  enterprise,  and  invigorated  by  the  refreshing  atmos 
phere  we  now  inhaled,  Toby  and  I  in  high  spirits  were 
making  our  way  rapidly  along  the  ridge,  when  suddenly 
from  the  valleys  below  which  lay  on  either  side  of  us, 
we  heard  the  distant  shouts  of  the  natives,  who  had 
just  descried  us,  and  to  whom  our  figures,  brought  in 
bold  relief  against  the  sky,  were  plainly  revealed. 

Glancing  our  eyes  into  these  valleys,  we  perceived 
their  savage  inhabitants  hurrying  to  and  fro,  seemingly 
under  the  influence  of  some  sudden  alarm,  and  appear 
ing  to  the  eye  scarcely  bigger  than  so  many  pigmies ; 
while  their  white  thatched  dwellings,  dwarfed  by  the 
distance,  looked  like  baby-houses.  As  we  looked  down 
upon  the  islanders  from  our  lofty  elevation,  we  experi 
enced  a  sense  of  security ;  feeling  confident  that,  should 
they  undertake  a  pursuit,  it  would,  from  the  start  we 
now  had,  prove  entirely  fruitless,  unless  they  followed 
us  into  the  mountains,  where  we  knew  they  cared  not 
to  venture. 

However,  we  thought  it  as  well  to  make  the  most  of 
our  time ;  and  accordingly,  where  the  ground  would  ad 
mit  of  it,  we  ran  swiftly  along  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
until  we  were  brought  to  a  stand  by  a  steep  cliff,  which 
at  first  seemed  to  interpose  an  effectual  barrier  to  our 
further  advance.  By  dint  of  much  hard  scrambling 
however,  and  at  some  risk  to  our  necks,  we  at  last  sur 
mounted  it,  and  continued  our  flight  with  unabated 
celerity. 


BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY  AROUND  NUKUHEVA      57 

We  had  left  the  beach  early  in  the  morning,  and  after 
an  uninterrupted,  though  at  times  difficult  and  dangerous 
ascent,  during  which  we  had  never  once  turned  our  faces 
to  the  sea,  we  found  ourselves,  about  three  hours  before 
sunset,  standing  on  the  top  of  what  seemed  to  be  the  high 
est  land  on  the  island,  an  immense  overhanging  cliff, 
composed  of  basaltic  rocks,  hung  round  with  parasitical 
plants.  We  must  have  been  more  than  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  scenery  viewed 
from  this  height  was  magnificent. 

The  lonely  bay  of  Nukuheva,  dotted  here  and  there 
with  the  black  hulls  of  the  vessels  composing  the  French 
squadron,  lay  reposing  at  the  base  of  a  circular  range  of 
elevations,  whose  verdant  sides,  perforated  with  deep 
glens  or  diversified  with  smiling  valleys,  formed  alto 
gether  the  loveliest  view  I  ever  beheld,  and  were  I  to 
live  a  hundred  years,  I  should  never  forget  the  feeling 
of  admiration  which  I  then  experienced. 


58  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  other  side  of  the  Mountain  —  Disappointment  —  Inventory  of 
Articles  brought  from  the  Ship  —  Division  of  the  Stock  of  Bread 
—  Appearance  of  the  Interior  of  the  Island  —  A  Discovery  —  A 
Ravine  and  Waterfalls  —  A  sleepless  Night — Further  Discov 
eries  —  My  Illness  —  A  Marquesan  Landscape. 

MY  curiosity  had  been  not  a  little  raised  with  regard 
to  the  description  of  country  we  should  meet  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains ;  and  I  had  supposed,  with 
Toby,  that  immediately  on  gaining  the  heights  we 
should  be  enabled  to  view  the  large  bays  of  Happar  and 
Typee  reposing  at  our  feet  on  one  side,  in  the  same  way 
that  Nukuheva  lay  spread  out  below  on  the  other.  But 
here  we  were  disappointed.  Instead  of  finding  the 
mountain  we  had  ascended  sweeping  down  in  the  oppo 
site  direction  into  broad  and  capacious  valleys,  the  land 
appeared  to  retain  its  general  elevation,  only  broken  in 
to  a  series  of  ridges  and  intervales,  which  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach  stretched  away  from  us,  with  their  pre 
cipitous  sides  covered  with  the  brightest  verdure,  and 
waving  here  and  there  with  the  foliage  of  clumps  of 
woodland ;  among  which,  however,  we  perceived  none 
of  those  trees  upon  whose  fruit  we  had  relied  with  such 
certainty. 

This  was  a  most  unlooked-for  discovery,  and  one  that 
promised  to  defeat  our  plans  altogether,  for  we  could 
not  think  of  descending  the  mountain  on  the  Nukuheva 
side  in  quest  of  food.  Should  we  for  this  purpose  be  in- 


TOBY'S  STORE  PRODUCED  59 

duced  to  retrace  our  steps,  we  should  run  no  small 
chance  of  encountering  the  natives,  who  in  that  case,  if 
they  did  nothing  worse  to  us,  would  be  certain  to  con 
vey  us  back  to  the  ship  for  the  sake  of  the  reward 
in  calico  and  trinkets,  which  we  had  no  doubt  our  skip 
per  would  hold  out  to  them  as  an  inducement  to  our 
capture. 

What  was  to  be  done?  The  Dolly  would  not  sail 
perhaps  for  ten  days,  and  how  were  we  to  sustain  life 
during  this  period?  I  bitterly  repented  our  improvi 
dence  in  not  providing  ourselves,  as  we  easily  might 
have  done,  with  a  supply  of  biscuit.  With  a  rueful  vis 
age  I  now  bethought  me  of  the  scanty  handful  of  bread 
I  had  stuffed  into  the  bosom  of  my  frock,  and  felt  some 
what  desirous  to  ascertain  what  part  of  it  had  weathered 
the  rather  rough  usage  it  had  experienced  in  ascending 
the  mountain.  I  accordingly  proposed  to  Toby  that  we 
should  enter  into  a  joint  examination  of  the  various  ar 
ticles  we  had  brought  from  the  ship.  With  this  intent 
we  seated  ourselves  upon  the  grass ;  and  a  little  curious 
to  see  with  what  kind  of  judgment  my  companion  had 
filled  his  frock  —  which  I  remarked  seemed  about  as 
well  lined  as  my  own  —  I  requested  him  to  commence 
operations  by  spreading  out  its  contents. 

Thrusting  his  hand,  then,  into  the  bosom  of  this  capa 
cious  receptacle,  he  first  brought  to  light  about  a  pound 
of  tobacco,  whose  component  parts  still  adhered  together, 
the  whole  outside  being  covered  with  soft  particles  of 
sea-bread.  Wet  and  dripping,  it  had  the  appearance  of 
having  been  just  recovered  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
But  I  paid  slight  attention  to  a  substance  of  so  little 
value  to  us  in  our  present  situation,  as  soon  as  I  per 
ceived  the  indications  it  gave  of  Toby's  foresight  in  lay 
ing  in  a  supply  of  food  for  the  expedition. 


60  TYPEE 

I  eagerly  inquired  what  quantity  he  had  brought  with 
him,  when,  rummaging  once  more  beneath  his  garment, 
he  produced  a  small  handful  of  something  so  soft,  pulpy, 
and  discoloured,  that  for  a  few  moments  he  was  as  much 
puzzled  as  myself  to  tell  by  what  possible  instrumen 
tality  such  a  villainous  compound  had  become  engen 
dered  in  his  bosom.  I  can  only  describe  it  as  a  hash  of 
soaked  bread  and  bits  of  tobacco,  brought  to  a  doughy 
consistency  by  the  united  agency  of  perspiration  and 
rain.  But  repulsive  as  it  might  otherwise  have  been,  I 
now  regarded  it  as  an  invaluable  treasure,  and  proceeded 
with  great  care  to  transfer  this  paste-like  mass  to  a  large 
leaf  which  I  had  plucked  from  a  bush  beside  me.  Toby 
informed  me  that  in  the  morning  he  had  placed  two 
whole  biscuits  hi  his  bosom,  with  a  view  of  munching 
them,  should  he  feel  so  inclined,  during  our  flight. 
These  were  now  reduced  to  the  equivocal  substance 
which  I  had  just  placed  on  the  leaf. 

Another  dive  into  the  frock  brought  to  view  some  four 
or  five  yards  of  calico  print,  whose  tasteful  pattern  was 
rather  disfigured  by  the  yellow  stains  of  the  tobacco 
with  which  it  had  been  brought  in  contact.  In  drawing 
this  calico  slowly  from  his  bosom  inch  by  inch,  Toby 
reminded  me  of  a  juggler  performing  the  feat  of  the 
endless  ribbon.  The  next  cast  was  a  small  one,  being  a 
sailor's  little  "ditty-bag,"  containing  needles,  thread, 
and  other  sewing  utensils ;  then  came  a  razor-case,  fol 
lowed  by  two  or  three  separate  plugs  of  negro-head,  which 
were  fished  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  now  empty  recep 
tacle.  These  various  matters  being  inspected,  I  pro 
duced  the  few  things  that  I  had  myself  brought. 

As  might  have  been  anticipated  from  the  state  of  my 
companion's  edible  supplies,  I  found  my  own  in  a  deplo- 


DIVISION  OF  THE  STOCK  OF  BREAD  61 

able  condition,  and  diminished  to  a  quantity  that  would 
not  have  formed  half  a  dozen  mouthfuls  for  a  hungry 
man  who  was  partial  enough  to  tobacco  not  to  mind 
swallowing  it.  A  few  morsels  of  bread,  with  a  fathom 
or  two  of  white  cotton  cloth,  and  several  pounds  of 
choice  pigtail,  composed  the  extent  of  my  possessions. 

Our  joint  stock  of  miscellaneous  articles  was  now 
made  up  into  a  compact  bundle,  which  it  was  agreed  we 
should  carry  alternately.  But  the  sorry  remains  of  the 
biscuit  were  not  to  be  disposed  of  so  summarily:  the 
precarious  circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed  made 
us  regard  them  as  something  on  which  very  probably 
depended  the  fate  of  our  adventure.  After  a  brief  dis 
cussion,  in  which  we  both  of  us  expressed  our  resolu 
tion  of  not  descending  into  the  bay  until  the  ship's 
departure,  I  suggested  to  my  companion  that  little  of  it 
as  there  was,  we  should  divide  the  bread  into  six  equal 
portions,  each  of  which  should  be  a  day's  allowance  for 
both  of  us.  This  proposition  he  assented  to ;  so  I  took 
the  silk  kerchief  from  my  neck,  and  cutting  it  with  my 
knife  into  half  a  dozen  equal  pieces,  proceeded  to  make 
an  exact  division. 

At  first,  Toby,  with  a  degree  of  fastidiousness  that 
seemed  to  me  ill-timed,  was  for  picking  out  the  minute 
particles  of  tobacco  with  which  the  spongy  mass  was 
mixed;  but  against  this  proceeding  I  protested,  as  by 
such  an  operation  we  must  have  greatly  diminished  its 
quantity. 

When  the  division  was  accomplished,  we  found  that 
a  day's  allowance  for  the  two  was  not  a  great  deal  more 
than  what  a  table-spoon  might  hold.  Each  separate  por 
tion  we  immediately  rolled  up  in  the  bit  of  silk  pre 
pared  for  it,  and  joining  them  altogether  into  a  small 


t>2  TTPEE 

package,  I  committed  them,  with  solemn  injunctions  of 
fidelity,  to  the  custody  of  Toby.  For  the  remainder  of 
that  day  we  resolved  to  fast,  as  we  had  been  fortified  by 
a  breakfast  in  the  morning ;  and  now  starting  again  to 
our  feet,  we  looked  about  us  for  a  shelter  during  the 
night,  which,  from  the  appearance  of  the  heavens, 
promised  to  be  a  dark  and  tempestuous  one. 

There  was  no  place  near  us  which  would  in  any  way 
answer  our  purpose ;  so  turning  our  backs  upon  Nuku- 
heva,  we  commenced  exploring  the  unknown  regions 
which  lay  upon  the  other  side  of  the  mountain. 

In  this  direction,  as  far  as  our  vision  extended,  not  a 
sign  of  life,  nor  anything  that  denoted  even  the  transient 
residence  of  man,  could  be  seen.  The  whole  landscape 
seemed  one  unbroken  solitude,  the  interior  of  the  island 
having  apparently  been  untenanted  since  the  morning 
of  the  creation ;  and  as  we  advanced  through  this  wil 
derness,  our  voices  sounded  strangely  in  our  ears,  as 
though  human  accents  had  never  before  disturbed  the 
fearful  silence  of  the  place,  interrupted  only  by  the  low 
murmurings  of  distant  waterfalls. 

Oui  disappointment,  however,  in  not  finding  the  va 
rious  fruits  with  which  we  had  intended  to  regale  our 
selves  during  our  stay  in  these  wilds,  was  a  good  deal 
lessened  by  the  consideration  that  from  this  very  cir 
cumstance  we  should  be  much  less  exposed  to  a  casual 
meeting  with  the  savage  tribes  about  us,  who  we  knew 
always  dwelt  beneath  the  shadows  of  those  trees  which 
supplied  them  with  food. 

We  wandered  along,  casting  eager  glances  into  every 
bush  we  passed,  until  just  as  we  had  succeeded  in 
mounting  one  of  the  many  ridges  that  intersected  the 
ground,  I  saw  in  the  grass  before  me  something  like  an 


ALAEM  AT  FINDING  A  FOOTPATH  63 

indistinctly  traced  footpath,  which  appeared  to  lead 
along  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  to  descend  with  it  into  a 
deep  ravine  about  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  us. 

Robinson  Crusoe  could  not  have  been  more  startled 
at  the  footprint  in  the  sand  than  we  were  at  this  unwel 
come  discovery.  My  first  impulse  was  to  make  as  rapid 
a  retreat  as  possible,  and  bend  our  steps  in  some  other 
direction ;  but  our  curiosity  to  see  whither  this  path 
might  lead,  prompted  us  to  pursue  it.  So  on  we  went, 
\\\Q  track  becoming  more  and  more  visible  the  farther 
we  proceeded,  until  it  conducted  us  to  the  verge  of  the 
ravine,  where  it  abruptly  terminated. 

"  And  so,"  said  Toby,  peering  down  into  the  chasm, 
"  every  one  that  travels  this  path  takes  a  jump  here, 
eh?" 

"Not  so,"  said  I,  "for  I  think  they  might  manage  to 
descend  without  it ;  what  say  you,  —  shall  we  attempt 
the  feat?" 

"And  what,  in  the  name  of  caves  and  coal-holes,  do 
you  expect  to  find  at  the  bottom  of  that  gulf  but  a 
broken  neck  —  why  it  looks  blacker  than  our  ship's 
hold,  and  the  roar  of  those  waterfalls  down  there  would 
batter  one's  brains  to  pieces." 

"Oh,  no,  Toby,"  I  exclaimed,  laughing;  "but  there's 
something  to  be  seen  here,  that's  plain,  or  there  would 
have  been  no  path,  and  I  am  resolved  to  find  out  what 
it  is." 

"  I  will  tell  you  what,  my  pleasant  fellow,"  rejoined 
Toby  quickly,  "if  you  are  going  to  pry  into  everything 
you  meet  with  here  that  excites  your  curiosity,  you  will 
marvellously  soon  get  knocked  on  the  head ;  to  a  dead 
certainty  you  will  come  bang  upon  a  party  of  these  sav 
ages  in  the  midst  of  your  discovery-makings,  and  I  doubt 


64  TTPEE 

whether  such  an  event  would  particularly  delight  you. 
Just  take  my  advice  for  once,  and  let  us  'bout  ship  and 
steer  in  some  other  direction ;  besides,  it's  getting  late, 
and  we  ought  to  be  mooring  ourselves  for  the  night." 

"  That  is  just  the  thing  I  have  been  driving  at,"  re 
plied  I ;  "  and  I  am  thinking  that  this  ravine  will  ex 
actly  answer  our  purpose,  for  it  is  roomy,  secluded,  well 
watered,  and  may  shelter  us  from  the  weather." 

"  Aye,  and  from  sleep  too,  and  by  the  same  token  will 
give  us  sore  throats  and  rheumatisms  into  the  bargain," 
cried  Toby  with  evident  dislike  at  the  idea. 

"  Oh,  very  well  then,  my  lad,"  said  I,  "  since  you  will 
not  accompany  me,  here  I  go  alone.  You  will  see  me 
in  the  morning;  "  and  advancing  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff 
upon  which  we  had  been  standing,  I  proceeded  to  lower 
myself  down  by  the  tangled  roots  which  clustered  about 
all  the  crevices  of  the  rock.  As  I  had  anticipated,  Toby, 
in  spite  of  his  previous  remonstrances,  followed  my  ex 
ample,  and  dropping  himself  with  the  activity  of  a  squir 
rel  from  point  to  point,  he  quickly  outstripped  me,  and 
effected  a  landing  at  the  bottom  before  I  had  accom 
plished  two-thirds  of  the  descent. 

The  sight  that  now  greeted  us  was  one  that  will  ever 
be  vividly  impressed  upon  my  mind.  Five  foaming 
streams,  rushing  through  as  many  gorges,  and  swelled 
and  turbid  by  the  recent  rains,  united  together  in  one 
mad  plunge  of  nearly  eighty  feet,  and  fell  with  wild 
uproar  into  a  deep  black  pool  scooped  out  of  the  gloomy- 
looking  rocks  that  lay  piled  around,  and  thence  in  one 
collected  body  dashed  down  a  narrow  sloping  channel 
which  seemed  to  penetrate  into  the  very  bowels  of  the 
earth.  Overhead,  vast  roots  of  trees  hung  down  from 
the  sides  of  the  ravine  dripping  with  moisture,  and 


THEIR  LODGINGS  FOR  THE  NIGHT  65 

trembling  with  the  concussions  produced  by  the  fall. 
It  was  now  sunset,  and  the  feeble  uncertain  light  that 
found  its  way  into  these  caverns  and  woody  depths 
heightened  their  strange  appearance,  and  reminded  us 
that  in  a  short  time  we  should  find  ourselves  in  utter 
darkness. 

As  soon  as  I  had  satisfied  my  curiosity  by  gazing  at 
this  scene,  I  fell  to  wondering  how  it  was  that  what  we 
had  taken  for  a  path  should  have  conducted  us  to  so 
singular  a  place,  and  began  to  suspect  that  after  all  I 
might  have  been  deceived  in  supposing  it  to  have  been 
a  track  formed  by  the  islanders.  This  was  rather  an 
agreeable  reflection  than  otherwise,  for  it  diminished 
our  dread  of  accidentally  meeting  with  any  of  them,  and 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  perhaps  we  could  not  have 
selected  a  more  secure  hiding-place  than  this  very  spot 
we  had  so  accidentally  hit  upon.  Toby  agreed  with  me 
in  this  view  of  the  matter,  and  we  immediately  began 
gathering  together  the  limbs  of  trees  which  lay  scattered 
about,  with  the  view  of  constructing  a  temporary  hut 
for  the  night.  This  we  were  obliged  to  build  close  to 
the  foot  of  the  cataract,  for  the  current  of  water  ex 
tended  very  nearly  to  the  sides  of  the  gorge.  The  few 
moments  of  light  that  remained  we  employed  in  cover 
ing  our  hut  with  a  species  of  broad-bladed  grass  that 
grew  in  every  fissure  of  the  ravine.  Our  hut,  if  it  de 
served  to  be  called  one,  consisted  of  six  or  eight  of  the 
straightest  branches  we  could  find  laid  obliquely  against 
the  steep  wall  of  rock,  with  their  lower  ends  within  a 
foot  of  the  stream.  Into  the  space  thus  covered  over 
we  managed  to  crawl,  and  dispose  our  wearied  bodies  as 
best  we  could. 

Shall  I  ever  forget  that  horrid  night?    As  for  poor 


66  TTPEE 

Toby,  I  could  scarcely  get  a  word  out  of  him.  It  would 
have  been  some  consolation  to  have  heard  his  voice,  but 
he  lay  shivering  the  livelong  night  like  a  man  afflicted 
with  the  palsy,  with  his  knees  drawn  up  to  his  head, 
while  his  back  was  supported  against  the  dripping  side 
of  the  rock.  During  this  wretched  night  there  seemed 
nothing  wanting  to  complete  the  perfect  misery  of  our 
condition.  The  rain  descended  in  such  torrents  that  our 
poor  shelter  proved  a  mere  mockery.  In  vain  did  I  try 
to  elude  the  incessant  streams  that  poured  upon  me  ; 
by  protecting  one  part  I  only  exposed  another,  and 
the  water  was  continually  finding  some  new  opening 
through  which  to  drench  us. 

I  have  had  many  a  ducking  in  the  course  of  my  life, 
and  in  general  care  little  about  it ;  but  the  accumulated 
horrors  of  that  night,  the  deathlike  coldness  of  the 
place,  the  appalling  darkness  and  the  dismal  sense  of 
our  forlorn  condition,  almost  unmanned  me. 

It  will  not  be  doubted  that  the  next  morning  we  were 
early  risers,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  catch  the  faintest 
glimpse  of  anything  like  daylight  I  shook  my  compan 
ion  by  the  arm,  and  told  him  it  was  sunrise.  Poor  Toby 
lifted  up  his  head,  and  after  a  moment's  pause  said,  in  a 
husky  voice,  "  Then,  shipmate,  my  toplights  have  gone 
out,  for  it  appears  darker  now  with  my  eyes  open  than 
it  did  when  they  were  shut." 

"Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  I ;  "you  are  not  awake  yet." 

"  Awake !  "  roared  Toby  in  a  rage,  "  awake  !  You 
mean  to  insinuate  I've  been  asleep,  do  you?  It  is  an 
insult  to  a  man  to  suppose  he  could  sleep  in  such  an  in 
fernal  place  as  this." 

By  the  time  I  had  apologized  to  my  friend  for  having 
misconstrued  his  silence,  it  had  become  somewhat  more 


OUR  EVENING'S  REPAST  67 

light,  and  we  crawled  out  of  our  lair.  The  rain  had 
ceased,  but  everything  around  us  was  dripping  with 
moisture.  We  stripped  off  our  saturated  garments,  and 
wrung:  them  as  dry  as  we  could.  We  contrived  to  make 

o  J 

the  blood  circulate  in  our  benumbed  limbs  by  rubbing 
them  vigorously  with  our  hands  ;  and  after  performing 
our  ablutions  in  the  stream,  and  putting  on  our  still  wet 
clothes,  we  began  to  think  it  advisable  to  break  our  long 
fast,  it  being  now  twenty-four  hours  since  we  had  tasted 
food. 

Accordingly  our  day's  ration  was  brought  out,  and 
seating  ourselves  on  a  detached  fragment  of  rock,  we 
proceeded  to  discuss  it.  First  we  divided  it  into  two 
equal  portions,  and  carefully  rolling  one  of  them  up  for 
our  evening's  repast,  divided  the  remainder  again  as 
equally  as  possible,  and  then  drew  lots  for  the  first 
choice.  I  could  have  placed  the  morsel  that  fell  to  my 
share  upon  the  tip  of  my  finger ;  but  notwithstanding 
this  I  took  care  that  it  should  be  full  ten  minutes  before 
I  had  swallowed  the  last  crumb.  What  a  true  saying 
it  is  that  "  appetite  furnishes  the  best  sauce."  There  was 
a  flavour  and  a  relish  to  this  small  particle  of  food  that 
under  other  circumstances  it  would  have  been  impossi 
ble  for  the  most  delicate  viands  to  have  imparted.  A 
copious  draught  of  the  pure  water  which  flowed  at  our 
feet  served  to  complete  the  meal,  and  after  it  we  rose 
sensibly  refreshed,  and  prepared  for  whatever  might  be 
fall  us. 

We  now  carefully  examined  the  chasm  in  which  we 
had  passed  the  night.  We  crossed  the  stream,  and 
gaining  the  further  side  of  the  pool  I  have  mentioned, 
discovered  proofs  that  the  spot  must  have  been  visited 
by  some  one  but  a  short  time  previous  to  our  arrival. 


68  TTPEE 

Further  observation  convinced  us  that  it  had  been 
regularly  frequented,  and,  as  we  afterwards  conjectured 
from  particular  indications,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
a  certain  root,  from  which  the  natives  obtain  a  kind  of 
ointment. 

These  discoveries  immediately  determined  us  to  aban 
don  a  place  which  had  presented  no  inducement  for  us 
to  remain,  except  the  promise  of  security ;  and  as  we 
looked  about  us  for  the  means  of  ascending  again  into 
the  upper  regions,  we  at  last  found  a  practicable  part  of 
the  rock,  and  half  an  hour's  toil  carried  us  to  the  summit 
of  the  same  cliff  from  which  the  preceding  evening  we 
had  descended. 

I  now  proposed  to  Toby  that  instead  of  rambling 
about  the  island,  exposing  ourselves  to  discovery  at 
every  turn,  we  should  select  some  place  as  our  fixed 
abode  for  as  long  a  period  as  our  food  should  hold  out, 
build  ourselves  a  comfortable  hut,  and  be  as  prudent  and 
circumspect  as  possible.  To  all  this  my  companion 
assented,  and  we  at  once  set  about  carrying  the  plan 
into  execution. 

With  this  view,  after  exploring  without  success  a 
little  glen  near  us,  we  crossed  several  of  the  ridges  of 
which  I  have  before  spoken  ;  and  about  noon  found  our 
selves  ascending  a  long  and  gradually  rising  slope,  but 
still  without  having  discovered  any  place  adapted  to  our 
purpose.  Low  and  heavy  clouds  betokened  an  approach 
ing  storm,  and  we  hurried  on  to  gain  a  covert  in  a  clump 
of  thick  bushes  which  appeared  to  terminate  the  long 
ascent.  We  threw  ourselves  under  the  lee  of  these 
bushes,  and  pulling  up  the  long  grass  that  grew  around, 
covered  ourselves  completely  with  it,  and  awaited  the 
shower. 


A   STATE  OF  HAPPY  FO&GETFULNES8  69 

But  it  did  not  come  as  soon  as  we  had  expected,  and 
before  many  minutes  my  companion  was  fast  asleep,  and 
I  was  rapidly  falling  into  the  same  state  of  happy  for- 
getfulness.  Just  at  this  juncture,  however,  down  came 
the  rain  with  a  violence  that  put  all  thoughts  of  slumber 
to  flight.  Although  in  some  measure  sheltered,  our 
clothes  soon  became  as  wet  as  ever :  this,  after  all  the 
trouble  we  had  taken  to  dry  them,  was  provoking 
enough :  but  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  and  I  recommend 
all  adventurous  youths  who  abandon  vessels  in  romantic 
islands  during  the  rainy  season  to  provide  themselves 
with  umbrellas. 

After  an  hour  or  so  the  shower  passed  away.  My 
companion  slept  through  it  all,  or  at  least  appeared  so 
to  do ;  and  now  that  it  was  over  I  had  not  the  heart  to 
awaken  him.  As  I  lay  on  my  back  completely  shrouded 
with  verdure,  the  leafy  branches  drooping  over  me,  and 
my  limbs  buried  in  grass,  I  could  not  avoid  comparing 
our  situation  with  that  of  the  interesting  babes  in  the 
wood.  Poor  little  sufferers  !  —  no  wonder  their  con 
stitutions  broke  down  under  the  hardships  to  which  they 
were  exposed. 

During  the  hour  or  two  spent  under  the  shelter  of 
these  bushes,  I  began  to  feel  symptoms  which  I  at  once 
attributed  to  the  exposure  of  the  preceding  night.  Cold 
shiverings  and  a  burning  fever  succeeded  one  another 
at  intervals,  while  one  of  my  legs  was  swelled  to  such  a 
degree,  and  pained  me  so  acutely,  that  I  half  suspected 
I  had  been  bitten  by  some  venomous  reptile,  the  con 
genial  inhabitant  of  the  chasm  from  which  we  had  lately 
emerged.  I  may  here  remark  by  the  way  —  what  I  subse 
quently  learned —  that  all  the  islands  of  Polynesia  enjoy 
the  reputation,  in  common  with  the  Hibernian  isle, 


70  TYPEE 

of  being  free  from  the  presence  of  any  vipers ;  though 
whether  Saint  Patrick  ever  visited  them,  is  a  question 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  decide. 

As  the  feverish  sensation  increased  upon  me,  I  tossed 
about,  still  unwilling  to  disturb  my  slumbering  com 
panion,  from  whose  side  I  removed  two  or  three  yards. 
I  chanced  to  push  aside  a  branch,  and  by  so  doing 
suddenly  disclosed  to  my  view  a  scene  which  even  now 
I  can  recall  with  all  the  vividness  of  the  first  impression. 
Had  a  glimpse  of  the  gardens  of  Paradise  been  revealed 
to  me  I  could  scarcely  have  been  more  ravished  with 
the  sight. 

From  the  spot  where  I  lay  transfixed  with  surprise  and 
delight,  I  looked  straight  down  into  the  bosom  of  a 
valley,  which  swept  away  in  long  wavy  undulations  to 
the  blue  waters  in  the  distance.  Midway  towards  the 
sea,  and  peering  here  and  there  amidst  the  foliage, 
might  be  seen  the  palmetto-thatched  houses  of  its  in 
habitants  glistening  in  the  sun  that  had  bleached  them 
to  a  dazzling  whiteness.  The  vale  was  more  than  three 
leagues  in  length,  and  about  a  mile  across  at  its  greatest 
width. 

On  either  side  it  appeared  hemmed  in  by  steep  and 
green  acclivities,  which,  uniting  near  the  spot  where  I 
lay,  formed  an  abrupt  and  semicircular  termination  of 
grassy  cliffs  and  precipices  hundreds  of  feet  in  height, 
over  which  flowed  numberless  small  cascades.  But  the 
crowning  beauty  of  the  prospect  was  its  universal  ver 
dure  ;  and  in  this  indeed  consists,  I  believe,  the  pecul 
iar  charm  of  every  Polynesian  landscape.  Everywhere 
below  me,  from  the  base  of  the  precipice  upon  whose 
very  verge  I  had  been  unconsciously  reposing,  the  sur 
face  of  the  vale  presented  a  mass  of  foliage,  spread 


VARIED  SCENEET  71 

with  such  rich  profusion  that  it  was  impossible  to  deter 
mine  of  what  description  of  trees  it  consisted. 

But  perhaps  there  was  nothing  about  the  scenery  I 
beheld  more  impressive  than  those  silent  cascades,  whose 
slender  threads  of  water,  after  leaping  down  the  steep 
cliffs,  were  lost  amidst  the  rich  herbage  of  the  valley. 

Over  all  the  landscape  there  reigned  the  most  hushed 
repose,  which  I  almost  feared  to  break  lest,  like  the 
enchanted  gardens  in  the  fairy  tale,  a  single  syllable 
might  dissolve  the  spell.  For  a  long  time,  forgetful 
alike  of  my  own  situation,  and  the  vicinity  of  my  still 
slumbering  companion,  I  remained  gazing  around  me, 
hardly  able  to  comprehend  by  what  means  I  had  thus 
suddenly  been  made  a  spectator  of  such  a  scene. 


72  TTPSJB 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Important  Question,  Typee  or  Happar?  —  A  Wild-Goose  Chase 

—  My  Sufferings  —  Disheartening  Situation  —  A  Night  in  a  Ravine 

—  Morning  Meal  —  Happy  Idea  of  Toby — Journey  towards  the 
Valley. 

RECOVERING  from  my  astonishment  at  the  beautiful- 
scene  before  me,  I  quickly  awakened  Toby,  and  in 
formed  him  of  the  discovery  I  had  made.  Together  we 
now  repaired  to  the  border  of  the  precipice,  and  my 
companion's  admiration  was  equal  to  my  own.  A  little 
reflection,  however,  abated  our  surprise  at  coming  so 
unexpectedly  upon  this  valley,  since  the  large  vales  of 
Happar  and  Typee,  lying  upon  this  side  of  Nukuheva, 
and  extending  a  considerable  distance  from  the  sea 
towards  the  interior,  must  necessarily  terminate  some 
where  about  this  point. 

The  question  now  was  as  to  which  of  those  two  places 
we  were  looking  down  upon.  Toby  insisted  that  it  was 
the  abode  of  the  Happars,  and  I  that  it  was  tenanted 
by  their  enemies  the  ferocious  Typees.  To  be  sure  I 
was  not  entirely  convinced  by  my  own  arguments,  but 
Toby's  proposition  to  descend  at  once  into  the  valley, 
and  partake  of  the  hospitality  of  its  inmates,  seemed 
to  me  to  be  risking  so  much  upon  the  strength  of  a 
mere  supposition,  that  I  resolved  to  oppose  it  until  we 
had  more  evidence  to  proceed  upon. 

The  point  was  one  of  vital  importance,  as  the  natives 
of  Happar  were  not  only  at  peace  with  Nukuheva,  but 


IN  SEARCH  OF  FOOD  73 

cultivated  with  its  inhabitants  the  most  friendly  rela 
tions,  and  enjoyed  besides  a  reputation  for  gentleness 
and  humanity  which  led  us  to  expect  from  them,  if  not 
a  cordial  reception,  at  least  a  shelter  during  the  short 
period  we  should  remain  in  their  territory. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  very  name  of  Typee  struck  a 
panic  into  my  heart  which  I  did  not  attempt  to  dis 
guise.  The  thought  of  voluntarily  throwing  ourselves 
into  the  hands  of  these  cruel  savages,  seemed  to  me  an 
act  of  mere  madness ;  and  almost  equally  so  the  idea  of 
venturing  into  the  valley,  uncertain  by  which  of  these 
two  tribes  it  was  inhabited.  That  the  vale  at  our  feet 
was  tenanted  by  one  of  them,  was  a  point  that  ap 
peared  to  us  past  all  doubt,  since  we  knew  that  they 
resided  in  this  quarter,  although  our  information  did 
not  enlighten  us  further. 

My  companion,  however,  incapable  of  resisting  the 
tempting  prospect  which  the  place  held  out  of  an  abun 
dant  supply  of  food  and  other  means  of  enjoyment,  still 
clung  to  his  own  inconsiderate  view  of  the  subject,  nor 
could  all  my  reasoning  shake  it.  When  I  reminded 
him  that  it  was  impossible  for  either  of  us  to  know  any 
thing  with  certainty,  and  when  I  dwelt  upon  the  horri 
ble  fate  we  should  encounter  were  we  rashly  to  descend 
into  the  valley,  and  discover  too  late  the  error  we  had 
committed,  he  replied  by  detailing  all  the  evils  of  our 
present  condition,  and  the  sufferings  we  must  undergo 
should  we  continue  to  remain  where  we  then  were. 

Anxious  to  draw  him  away  from  the  subject,  if  possi 
ble —  for  I  saw  that  it  would  be  in  vain  to  attempt 
changing  his  mind  —  I  directed  his  attention  to  a  long 
bright  unwooded  tract  of  land  which,  sweeping  down 
from  the  elevations  in  the  interior,  descended  into  the 


74  TYPEE 

valley  before  us.  I  then  suggested  to  him  that  beyond 
this  ridge  might  lie  a  capacious  and  untenanted  valley, 
abounding  with  all  manner  of  delicious  fruits ;  for  I 
had  heard  that  there  were  several  such  upon  the  island, 
and  proposed  that  we  should  endeavour  to  reach  it,  and 
if  we  found  our  expectations  realised  we  should  at  once 
take  refuge  in  it  and  remain  there  as  long  as  we 
pleased. 

He  acquiesced  in  the  suggestion;  and  we  immedi 
ately,  therefore,  began  surveying  the  country  lying 
before  us,  with  a  view  of  determining  upon  the  best 
route  for  us  to  pursue ;  but  it  presented  little  choice, 
the  whole  interval  being  broken  into  steep  ridges, 
divided  by  dark  ravines,  extending  in  parallel  nnes  at 
right  angles  to  our  direct  course.  All  these  we  would 
be  obliged  to  cross  before  we  could  hope  to  arrive  at 
our  destination. 

A  weary  journey !  But  we  decided  to  undertake  it, 
though,  for  my  own  part,  I  felt  little  prepared  to 
encounter  its  fatigues,  shivering  and  burning  by  turns 
with  the  ague  and  fever ;  for  I  know  not  how  else  to 
describe  the  alternate  sensations  I  experienced,  and 
suffering  not  a  little  from  the  lameness  which  afflicted 
me.  Added  to  this  was  the  faintness  consequent  on 
our  meagre  diet — a  calamity  in  which  Toby  partici 
pated  to  the  same  extent  as  myself. 

These  circumstances,  however,  only  augmented  my 
anxiety  to  reach  a  place  which  promised  us  plenty  and 
repose,  before  I  should  be  reduced  to  a  state  which 
would  render  me  altogether  unable  to  perform  the  jour 
ney.  Accordingly  we  now  commenced  it  by  descend 
ing  the  almost  perpendicular  side  of  a  steep  and  narrow 
gorge,  bristling  with  a  thick  growth  of  reeds.  Here 


A  DIFFICULT  UNDERTAKING  75 

there  was  but  one  mode  for  us  to  adopt.  We  seated 
ourselves  upon  the  ground,  and  guided  our  descent  by 
catching  at  the  canes  in  our  path.  The  velocity  with 
which  we  thus  slid  down  the  side  of  the  ravine  soon 
brought  us  to  a  point  where  we  could  use  our  feet,  and 
in  a  short  time  we  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  torrent, 
which  rolled  impetuously  along  the  bed  of  the  chasm. 

After  taking  a  refreshing  draught  from  the  water  of 
the  stream,  we  addressed  ourselves  to  a  much  more  dif 
ficult  undertaking  than  the  last.  Every  foot  of  our 
late  descent  had  to  be  regained  in  ascending  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  gorge  —  an  operation  rendered  the  less 
agreeable  from  the  consideration  that  in  these  perpen 
dicular  episodes  we  did  not  progress  an  hundred  yards 
on  our  journey.  But,  ungrateful  as  the  task  was,  we 
set  about  it  with  exemplary  patience,  and  after  a  snail- 
like  progress  of  an  hour  or  more,  had  scaled  perhaps 
one-half  of  the  distance,  when  the  fever  which  had  left 
me  for  a  while  returned  with  such  violence,  and  accom 
panied  by  so  raging  a  thirst,  that  it  required  all  the 
entreaties  of  Toby  to  prevent  me  from  losing  all  the 
fruits  of  my  late  exertion,  by  precipitating  myself  madly 
down  the  cliffs  we  had  just  climbed,  in  quest  of  the 
water  which  flowed  so  temptingly  at  their  base.  At 
the  moment  all  my  hopes  and  fears  appeared  to  be 
merged  in  this  one  desire,  careless  of  the  consequences 
that  might  result  from  its  gratification.  I  am  aware 
of  no  feeling,  either  of  pleasure  or  of  pain,  that  so  com 
pletely  deprives  one  of  all  power  to  resist  its  impulses, 
as  this  same  raging  thirst. 

Toby  earnestly  conjured  me  to  continue  the  ascent, 
assuring  me  that  a  little  more  exertion  would  bring  us 
to  the  summit,  and  that  then  in  less  than  five  minutes 


76  TYPEE 

we  should  find  ourselves  at  the  brink  of  the  stream, 
which  must  necessarily  flow  on  the  other  side  of  the 
ridge. 

"  Do  not,"  he  exclaimed,  "  turn  back,  now  that  we 
have  proceeded  thus  far ;  for  I  tell  you  that  neither  of 
us  will  have  the  courage  to  repeat  the  attempt,  if  once 
more  we  find  ourselves  looking  up  to  where  we  now  are 
from  the  bottom  of  these  rocks ! " 

I  was  not  yet  so  perfectly  beside  myself  as  to  be  heed 
less  of  these  representations,  and  therefore  toiled  on, 
ineffectually  endeavouring  to  appease  the  thirst  which 
consumed  me,  by  thinking  that  in  a  short  time  I  should 
be  able  to  gratify  it  to  my  heart's  content. 

At  last  we  gained  the  top  of  the  second  elevation, 
the  loftiest  of  those  I  have  described  as  extending  in 
parallel  lines  between  us  and  the  valley  we  desired  to 
reach.  It  commanded  a  view  of  the  whole  intervening 
distance  ;  and,  discouraged  as  I  was  by  other  circum 
stances,  this  prospect  plunged  me  into  the  very  depths 
of  despair.  Nothing  but  dark  and  fearful  chasms,  sepa 
rated  by  sharp  crested  and  perpendicular  ridges  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.  Could  we  have  stepped  from 
summit  to  summit  of  these  steep  but  narrow  elevations 
we  could  easily  have  accomplished  the  distance;  but 
we  must  penetrate  to  the  bottom  of  every  yawning  gulf, 
and  scale  in  succession  every  one  of  the  eminences 
before  us.  Even  Toby,  although  not  suffering  as  I  did, 
was  not  proof  against  the  disheartening  influences  of  the 
sight. 

But  we  did  not  long  stand  to  contemplate  it,  im 
patient  as  I  was  to  reach  the  waters  of  the  torrent 
which  flowed  beneath  us.  With  an  insensibility  to 
danger  which  I  cannot  call  to  mind  without  shuddering, 


A  STAETLING  EEVULSION  77 

we  threw  ourselves  down  the  depths  of  the  ravine, 
startling  its  savage  solitudes  with  the  echoes  produced 
by  the  falling  fragments  of  rock  we  every  moment  dis 
lodged  from  their  places,  careless  of  the  insecurity  of 
our  footing,  and  reckless  whether  the  slight  roots  and 
twigs  we  clutched  at  sustained  us  for  the  while,  or 
treacherously  yielded  to  our  grasp.  For  my  own  part, 
I  scarcely  knew  whether  I  was  helplessly  falling  from 
the  heights  above,  or  whether  the  fearful  rapidity  with 
which  I  descended  was  an  act  of  my  own  volition. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  gorge, 
and  kneeling  upon  a  small  ledge  of  dripping  rocks,  I 
bent  over  to  the  stream.  What  a  delicious  sensation 
was  I  now  to  experience !  I  paused  for  a  second  to 
concentrate  all  my  capabilities  of  enjoyment,  and  then 
immerged  my  lips  in  the  clear  element  before  me.  Had 
the  apples  of  Sodom  turned  to  ashes  in  my  mouth,  I 
could  not  have  felt  a  more  startling  revulsion.  A  single 
drop  of  the  cold  fluid  seemed  to  freeze  every  drop  of 
blood  in  my  body ;  the  fever  that  had  been  burning  in 
my  veins  gave  place  on  the  instant  to  death-like  chills, 
which  shook  me  one  after  another  like  so  many  shocks 
of  electricity,  while  the  perspiration  produced  by  my  late 
violent  exertions  congealed  in  icy  beads  upon  my  fore 
head.  My  thirst  was  gone,  and  I  fairly  loathed  the 
water.  Starting  to  my  feet,  the  sight  of  those  dank 
rocks,  oozing  forth  moisture  at  every  crevice,  and  the 
dark  stream  shooting  along  its  dismal  channel,  sent 
fresh  chills  through  my  shivering  frame,  and  I  felt  as 
uncontrollable  a  desire  to  climb  up  towards  the  genial 
sunlight  as  I  before  had  to  descend  the  ravine. 

After  two  hours'  perilous  exertions  we  stood  upon 
the  summit  of  another  ridge,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 


78  TYPES 

I  could  bring  myself  to  believe  that  we  had  ever  pene 
trated  the  black  and  yawning  chasm  which  then  gaped 
at  our  feet.  Again  we  gazed  upon  the  prospect  which 
the  height  commanded,  but  it  was  just  as  depressing  as 
the  one  which  had  before  met  our  eyes.  I  now  felt 
that  in  our  present  situation  it  was  in  vain  for  us  to 
think  of  ever  overcoming  the  obstacles  in  our  way, 
and  I  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  reaching  the  vale  which 
lay  beyond  this  series  of  impediments ;  while  at  the 
same  time  I  could  not  devise  any  scheme  to  extricate  our 
selves  from  the  difficulties  in  which  we  were  involved. 

The  remotest  idea  of  returning  to  Nukuheva,  unless 
assured  of  our  vessel's  departure,  never  once  entered 
my  mind,  and  indeed  it  was  questionable  whether  we 
could  have  succeeded  in  reaching  it,  divided  as  we  were 
from  the  bay  by  a  distance  we  could  not  compute, 
and  perplexed  too  in  our  remembrance  of  localities  by 
our  recent  wanderings.  Besides,  it  was  unendurable  the 
thought  of  retracing  our  steps  and  rendering  all  our 
painful  exertions  of  no  avail. 

There  is  scarcely  anything  when  a  man  is  in  difficul 
ties  that  he  is  more  disposed  to  look  upon  with  abhorrence 
than  a  right-about  retrograde  movement — a  systematic 
going-over  of  the  already  trodden  ground ;  and  especially 
if  he  has  a  love  of  adventure,  such  a  course  appears 
indescribably  repulsive,  so  long  as  there  remains  the  least 
hope  to  be  derived  from  braving  untried  difficulties. 

It  was  this  feeling  that  prompted  us  to  descend  the 
opposite  side  of  the  elevation  we  had  just  scaled,  al 
though  with  what  definite  object  in  view  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  either  of  us  to  tell. 

Without  exchanging  a  syllable  upon  the  subject,  Toby 
and  myself  simultaneously  renounced  the  design  which 


SECOND  NIGHT'S  SHELTER  79 

had  lured  us  thus  far  —  perceiving  in  each  other's  coun 
tenances  that  desponding  expression  which  speaks  more 
eloquently  than  words. 

Together  we  stood  towards  the  close  of  this  weary  day 
in  the  cavity  of  the  third  gorge  we  had  entered,  wholly 
incapacitated  for  any  further  exertion,  until  restored  to 
some  degree  of  strength  by  food  and  repose. 

We  seated  ourselves  upon  the  least  uncomfortable 
spot  we  could  select,  and  Toby  produced  from  the  bosom 
of  his  frock  the  sacred  package.  In  silence  we  partook 
of  the  small  morsel  of  refreshment  that  had  been  left 
from  the  morning's  repast,  and  without  once  proposing 
to  violate  the  sanctity  of  our  engagement  with  respect 
to  the  remainder,  we  rose  to  our  feet,  and  proceeded  to 
construct  some  sort  of  shelter  under  which  we  might  ob 
tain  the  sleep  we  so  greatly  needed. 

Fortunately  the  spot  was  better  adapted  to  our  pur 
pose  than  the  one  in  which  we  had  passed  the  last 
wretched  night.  We  cleared  away  the  tall  reeds  from 
a  small  but  almost  level  bit  of  ground,  and  twisted  them 
into  a  low  basket-like  hut,  which  we  covered  with  a 
profusion  of  long  thick  leaves,  gathered  from  a  tree 
near  at  hand.  We  disposed  them  thickly  all  around, 
reserving  only  a  slight  opening  that  barely  permitted 
us  to  crawl  under  the  shelter  we  had  thus  obtained. 

These  deep  recesses,  though  protected  from  the  winds 
that  assail  the  summits  of  their  lofty  sides,  are  damp 
and  chill  to  a  degree  that  one  would  hardly  anticipate 
in  such  a  climate  ;  and  being  unprovided  with  anything 
but  our  woollen  frocks  and  thin  duck  trousers  to  resist 
the  cold  of  the  place,  we  were  the  more  solicitous  to 
render  our  habitation  for  the  night  as  comfortable  as  we 
could.  Accordingly,  in  addition  to  what  we  had  already 


80  TTPEE 

done,  we  plucked  down  all  the  leaves  within  our  reach 
and  threw  them  in  a  heap  over  our  little  hut,  into  which 
we  now  crept,  raking  after  us  a  reserved  supply  to  form 
our  couch. 

That  night  nothing  but  the  pain  I  suffered  prevented 
me  from  sleeping  most  refreshingly.  As  it  was,  I 
caught  two  or  three  naps,  while  Toby  slept  away  at  my 
side  as  soundly  as  though  he  had  been  sandwiched  be 
tween  two  Holland  sheets.  Luckily  it  did  not  rain,  and 
We  were  preserved  from  the  misery  which  a  heavy 
shower  would  have  occasioned  us. 

In  the  morning  I  was  awakened  by  the  sonorous  voice 
of  my  companion  ringing  in  my  ears  and  bidding  me  rise. 
I  crawled  out  from  our  heap  of  leaves,  and  was  aston 
ished  at  the  change  which  a  good  night's  rest  had 
wrought  in  his  appearance.  He  was  as  blithe  and  joy 
ous  as  a  young  bird,  and  was  staying  the  keenness  of  his 
morning's  appetite  by  chewing  the  soft  bark  of  a  deli 
cate  branch  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  he  recommended 
the  like  to  me  as  an  admirable  antidote  against  the  gnaw- 
ings  of  hunger. 

For  my  own  part,  though  feeling  materially  better 
than  I  had  done  the  preceding  evening,  I  could  not 
look  at  the  limb  that  had  pained  me  so  violently  at  inter 
vals  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  without  experi 
encing  a  sense  of  alarm  that  I  strove  in  vain  to  shake  off. 
Unwilling  to  disturb  the  flow  of  my  comrade's  spirits, 
I  managed  to  stifle  the  complaints  to  which  I  might 
otherwise  have  given  vent,  and  calling  upon  him  good- 
humouredly  to  speed  our  banquet,  I  prepared  myself  for 
it  by  washing  in  the  stream.  This  operation  concluded, 
we  swallowed,  or  rather  absorbed,  by  a  peculiar  kind  of 
slow  sucking  process,  our  respective  morsels  of  nourish- 


THEIR  DESCENT  TO  THE  VALLEY  -  81 

ment,  and  then  entered  into  a  discussion  as  to  the  steps 
it  was  necessary  for  us  to  pursue. 

"  What's  to  be  done  now  ?  "  inquired  I,  rather  dolefully. 

"  Descend  into  that  same  valley  we  descried  yester 
day,"  rejoined  Toby,  with  a  rapidity  and  loudness  of 
utterance  that  almost  led  me  to  suspect  he  had  been 
slyly  devouring  the  broadside  of  an  ox  in  some  of  the 
adjoining  thickets.  "  What  else,"  he  continued,  "  re 
mains  for  us  to  do  but  that,  to  be  sure  ?  Why,  we  shall 
both  starve  to  a  certainty  if  we  remain  here  ;  and  as  to 
your  fears  of  those  Typees  —  depend  upon  it,  it  is  all 
nonsense. 

"It is  impossible  that  the  inhabitants  of  such  a  lovely 
place  as  we  saw  can  be  anything  else  but  good  fellows ; 
and  if  you  choose  rather  to  perish  with  hunger  in  one  of 
these  soppy  caverns,  I  for  one  prefer  to  chance  a  bold 
descent  into  the  valley,  and  risk  the  consequences." 

44  And  who  is  to  pilot  us  thither,"  I  asked,  "  even  if 
we  should  decide  upon  the  measure  you  propose  ?  Are 
we  to  go  again  up  and  down  those  precipices  that  we 
crossed  yesterday,  until  we  reach  the  place  we  started 
from,  and  then  take  a  flying  leap  from  the  cliffs  to  the 
valley?" 

"  'Faith,  I  didn't  think  of  that,"  said  Toby;  "sure 
enough,  both  sides  of  the  valley  appeared  to  be  hemmed 
in  by  precipices,  didn't  they  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  I,  "  as  steep  as  the  sides  of  a  line-of- 
battle  ship,  and  about  a  hundred  times  as  high."  My 
companion  sank  his  head  upon  his  breast  and  re 
mained  for  a  while  in  deep  thought.  Suddenly  he 
sprang  to  his  feet,  while  his  eyes  lighted  up  with  that 
gleam  of  intelligence  that  marks  the  presence  of  some 
bright  idea. 


82  TTPEE 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  exclaimed ;  "  the  streams  all  run  in 
the  same  direction,  and  must  necessarily  flow  into  the 
valley  before  they  reach  the  sea ;  all  we  have  to  do  is 
just  to  follow  this  stream,  and  sooner  or  later  it  will  lead 
us  into  the  vale." 

"  You  are  right,  Toby,"  I  exclaimed,  "  you  are  right ; 
it  must  conduct  us  thither,  and  quickly  too ;  for,  see 
with  what  a  steep  inclination  the  water  descends." 

"  It  does,  indeed,"  burst  forth  my  companion,  over 
joyed  at  my  verification  of  his  theory,  "  it  does  indeed ; 
why,  it  is  as  plain  as  a  pike-staff.  Let  us  proceed  at  once , 
come,  throw  away  all  those  stupid  ideas  about  the  Ty« 
pees,  and  hurrah  for  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Happars  I '" 

"  You  will  have  it  to  be  Happar,  I  see,  my  dear  fellow ; 
pray  Heaven  you  may  not  find  yourself  deceived," 
observed  I,  with  a  shake  of  my  head. 

"  Amen  to  all  that,  and  much  more,"  shouted  Toby, 
rushing  forward ;  "  but  Happar  it  is,  for  nothing  else 
than  Happar  can  it  be.  So  glorious  a  valley — such 
forests  of  bread-fruit  trees  —  such  groves  of  cocoa-nut  — • 
such  wildernesses  of  guava-bushes !  Ah,  shipmate  !  don't 
linger  behind:  in  the  name  of  all  delightful  fruits,  I 
am  dying  to  be  at  them.  Come  on,  come  on ;  shove 
ahead,  there's  a  lively  lad ;  never  mind  the  rocks  ;  kick 
them  out  of  the  way,  as  I  do ;  and  to-morrow,  old  fellow, 
take  my  word  for  it,  we  shall  be  in  clover.  Come  on ;  " 
and  so  saying,  he  dashed  along  the  ravine  like  a  mad 
man,  forgetting  my  inability  to  keep  up  with  him.  In  a 
few  minutes,  however,  the  exuberance  of  his  spirits 
abated,  and,  pausing  for  a  while,  he  permitted  me  to 
overtake  him. 


PERILOUS  PASSAGE  OF  THE  RAVINS 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Perilous  Passage  of  the  Ravine  —  Descent  into  the  Valley. 

THE  fearless  confidence  of  Toby  was  contagious,  and 
I  began  to  adopt  the  Happar  side  of  the  question.  I 
could  not,  however,  overcome  a  certain  feeling  of  trepi 
dation  as  we  made  our  way  along  these  gloomy  soli 
tudes.  Our  progress,  at  first  comparatively  easy,  became 
more  and  more  difficult.  The  bed  of  the  watercourse 
was  covered  with  fragments  of  broken  rocks,  which  had 
fallen  from  above,  offering  so  many  obstructions  to  the 
course  of  the  rapid  stream,  which  vexed  and  fretted 
about  them,  —  forming  at  intervals  small  waterfalls, 
pouring  over  into  deep  basins,  or  splashing  wildly  upon 
heaps  of  stones. 

From  the  narrowness  of  the  gorge,  and  the  steepness 
of  its  sides,  there  was  no  mode  of  advancing  but  by 
wading  through  the  water;  stumbling  every  moment 
over  the  impediments  which  lay  hidden  under  its  sur 
face,  or  tripping  against  the  huge  roots  of  trees.  But 
the  most  annoying  hindrance  we  encountered  was  from 
a  multitude  of  crooked  boughs,  which,  shooting  out 
almost  horizontally  from  the  sides  of  the  chasm,  twisted 
themselves  together  in  fantastic  masses  almost  to  the 
surface  of  the  stream,  affording  us  no  passage  except 
under  the  low  arches  which  they  formed.  Under  these 
we  were  obliged  to  crawl  on  our  hands  and  feet,  sliding 
along  the  oozy  surface  of  the  rocks,  or  slipping  into  the 


84  TTPEE 

deep  pools,  and  with  scarce  light  enough  to  guide  us. 
Occasionally  we  would  strike  our  heads  against  some 
projecting  limb  of  a  tree  ;  and  while  imprudently 
engaged  in  rubbing  the  injured  part,  would  fall  sprawl 
ing  amongst  flinty  fragments,  cutting  and  bruising 
ourselves,  whilst  the  unpitying  waters  flowed  over  our 
prostrate  bodies.  Belzoni,  worming  himself  through 
the  subterranean  passages  of  the  Egyptian  catacombs, 
could  not  have  met  with  greater  impediments  than  those 
we  here  encountered.  But  we  struggled  against  them 
manfully,  well  knowing  our  only  hope  lay  in  ad 
vancing. 

Towards  sunset  we  halted  at  a  spot  where  we  made 
preparations  for  passing  the  night.  Here  we  con 
structed  a  hut,  in  much  the  same  way  as  before,  and 
crawling  into  it,  endeavoured  to  forget  our  sufferings. 
My  companion,  I  believe,  slept  pretty  soundly ;  but  at 
daybreak,  when  we  rolled  out  of  our  dwelling,  I  felt 
nearly  disqualified  for  any  further  efforts.  Toby  pre 
scribed  as  a  remedy  for  my  illness  the  contents  of  one 
of  our  little  silk  packages,  to  be  taken  at  once  in  a 
single  dose.  To  this  species  of  medical  treatment, 
however,  I  would  by  no  means  accede,  much  as  he 
insisted  upon  it ;  and  so  we  partook  of  our  usual  morsel, 
and  silently  resumed  our  journey.  It  was  now  the 
fourth  day  since  we  left  Nukuheva,  and  the  gnawings 
of  hunger  became  painfully  acute.  We  were  fain  to 
pacify  them  by  chewing  the  tender  bark  of  roots  and 
twigs,  which,  if  they  did  not  afford  us  nourishment, 
were  at  least  sweet  and  pleasant  to  the  taste. 

Our  progress  along  the  steep  watercourse  was  neces 
sarily  slow,  and  by  noon  we  had  not  advanced  more 
than  a  mile.  It  was  somewhere  near  this  part  of  the 


A  ROCKY  PEECIPICE  85 

day  that  the  noise  of  falling  waters,  which  we  had 
faintly  caught  in  the  early  morning,  became  more  dis 
tinct  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  we  were  arrested  by 
a  rocky  precipice  of  nearly  a  hundred  feet  in  depth, 
that  extended  all  across  the  channel,  and  over  which 
the  wild  stream  poured  in  an  unbroken  leap.  On  either 
hand  the  walls  of  the  ravine  presented  their  overhang 
ing  sides  both  above  and  below  the  fall,  affording  no 
means  whatever  of  avoiding  the  cataract  by  taking  a 
circuit  round  it. 

"  What's  to  be  done  now,  Toby  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Why,"  rejoined  he,  "  as  we  cannot  retreat,  I  sup 
pose  we  must  keep  shoving  along." 

"  Very  true,  my  dear  Toby  ;  but  how  do  you  propose 
accomplishing  that  desirable  object  ?  " 

"  By  jumping  from  the  top  of  the  fall,  if  there  be  no 
other  way,"  unhesitatingly  replied  my  companion  :  "  it 
will  be  much  the  quickest  way  of  descent ;  but  as  you 
are  not  quite  as  active  as  I  am,  we  will  try  some  other 
way." 

And,  so  saying,  he  crept  cautiously  along  and  peered 
over  into  the  abyss,  while  I  remained  wondering  by 
what  possible  means  we  could  overcome  this  apparently 
insuperable  obstruction.  As  soon  as  my  companion  had 
completed  his  survey,  I  eagerly  inquired  the  result. 

"  The  result  of  my  observations  you  wish  to  know, 
do  you?  "  began  Toby,  deliberately,  with  one  of  his  odd 
looks :  "  well,  my  lad,  the  result  of  my  observations  is 
very  quickly  imparted.  It  is  at  present  uncertain 
which  of  our  two  necks  will  have  the  honour  to  be 
broken  first ;  but  about  a  hundred  to  one  would  be  a 
fair  bet  in  favour  of  the  man  who  takes  the  first 
jump." 


86  TYPES 

"  Then  it  is  an  impossible  thing,  is  it  ?  "  inquired  I, 
gloomily. 

"  No,  shipmate ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  easiest 
thing  in  life :  the  only  awkward  point  is  the  sort  of 
usage  which  our  unhappy  limbs  may  receive  when  we 
arrive  at  the  bottom,  and  what  sort  of  travelling  trim 
we  shall  be  in  afterwards.  But  follow  me  now,  and  I 
will  show  you  the  only  chance  we  have." 

With  this  he  conducted  me  to  the  verge  of  the  cata 
ract,  and  pointed  along  the  side  of  the  ravine  to  a 
number  of  curious-looking  roots,  some  three  or  four 
inches  in  thickness,  and  several  feet  long,  which  after 
twisting  among  the  fissures  of  the  rock,  shot  perpen 
dicularly  from  it  and  ran  tapering  to  a  point  in  the  air, 
hanging  over  the  gulf  like  so  many  dark  icicles.  They 
covered  nearly  the  entire  surface  of  one  side  of  the 
gorge,  the  lowest  of  them  reaching  even  to  the  water. 
Many  were  moss-grown  and  decayed,  with  their  ex 
tremities  snapped  short  off,  and  those  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  fall  were  slippery  with  moisture. 

Toby's  scheme,  and  it  was  a  desperate  one,  was  to  in 
trust  ourselves  to  these  treacherous-looking  roots,  and 
by  slipping  down  from  one  to  another  to  gain  the  bottom. 

"  Are  you  ready  to  venture  it  ?  "  asked  Toby,  look 
ing  at  me  earnestly,  but  without  saying  a  word  as  to 
the  practicability  of  the  plan. 

"  I  am,"  was  my  reply ;  for  I  saw  it  was  our  only  re 
source  if  we  wished  to  advance,  and  as  for  retreating, 
all  thoughts  of  that  sort  had  been  long  abandoned. 

After  I  had  signified  my  assent,  Toby,  without  utter 
ing  a  single  word,  crawled  along  the  dripping  ledge 
until  he  gained  a  point  from  whence  he  could  just 
reach  one  of  the  largest  of  the  pendent  roots  ;  he  shook 


FEIOHTFUL  DESCENTS  87 

it  —  it  quivered  in  his  grasp,  and  when  he  let  it  go  it 
twanged  in  the  air  like  a  strong  wire  sharply  struck. 
Satisfied  by  his  scrutiny,  my  light-limbed  companion 
swung  himself  nimbly  upon  it,  and  twisting  his  legs 
round  it  in  sailor  fashion,  slipped  down  eight  or  ten 
feet,  where  his  weight  gave  it  a  motion  not  unlike  that 
of  a  pendulum.  He  could  not  venture  to  descend  any 
further ;  so  holding  on  with  one  hand,  he  with  the  other 
shock  one  by  one  all  the  slender  roots  around  him,  and 
at  Ust,  finding  one  which  he  thought  trustworthy, 
shifted  himself  to  it  and  continued  his  downward 
progress. 

iSo  far  so  well ;  but  I  could  not  avoid  comparing  my 
heavier  frame  and  disabled  condition  with  his  light 
figure  and  remarkable  activity;  but  there  was  no  help 
for  *t,  and  in  less  than  a  minute's  time  I  was  swinging 
directly  over  his  head.  As  soon  as  his  upturned  eyes 
caught  a  glimpse  of  me,  he  exclaimed  in  his  usual  dry 
tono,  for  the  danger  did  not  seem  to  daunt  him  in  the 
least,  "  Mate,  do  me  the  kindness  not  to  fall  until  I  get 
out  of  your  way ;  "  and  then  swinging  himself  more  on 
one  side,  he  continued  his  descent.  In  the  mean  time  I 
cautiously  transferred  myself  from  the  limb  down  which 
I  had  been  slipping  to  a  couple  of  others  that  were 
near  it,  deeming  two  strings  to  my  bow  better  than 
one,  and  taking  care  to  test  their  strength  before  I 
trusted  my  weight  to  them. 

On  arriving  towards  the  end  of  the  second  stage  in 
this  vertical  journey,  and  shaking  the  long  roots  which 
were  round  me,  to  my  consternation  they  snapped  off 
one  after  another  like  so  many  pipe  stems,  and  fell  in 
fragments  against  the  side  of  the  gulf,  splashing  at 
last  into  the  waters  beneath. 


88  TYPEE 

As  one  after  another  the  treacherous  roots  yielded 
to  my  grasp,  and  fell  into  the  torrent,  my  heart  sunk 
within  me.  The  branches  on  which  I  was  suspended 
over  the  yawning  chasm  swang  to  and  fro  in  the  air, 
and  I  expected  them  every  moment  to  snap  in  twain, 
Appalled  at  the  dreadful  fate  that  menaced  me,  I  clutched 
frantically  at  the  only  large  root  which  remained  near 
me,  but  in  vain  ;  I  could  not  reach  it,  though  my  fin 
gers  were  within  a  few  inches  of  it.  Again  and  again 
I  tried  to  reach  it,  until  at  length,  maddened  with  the 
thought  of  my  situation,  I  swayed  myself  violently  by 
striking  my  foot  against  the  side  of  the  rock,  and  at 
the  instant  that  I  approached  the  large  root  caught 
desperately  at  it,  and  transferred  myself  to  it.  It 
vibrated  violently  under  the  sudden  weight,  but  fortu 
nately  did  not  give  way. 

My  brain  grew  dizzy  with  the  idea  of  the  frightful 
risk  I  had  just  run,  and  I  involuntarily  closed  my  eyes 
to  shut  out  the  view  of  the  depth  beneath  me.  For  the 
instant  I  was  safe,  and  I  uttered  a  devout  ejaculation  of 
thanksgiving  for  my  escape. 

"  Pretty  well  done,"  shouted  Toby  underneath  me ; 
"  you  are  nimbler  than  I  thought  you  to  be  —  hopping 
about  up  there  from  root  to  root  like  any  young  squirrel. 
As  soon  as  you  have  diverted  yourself  sufficiently,  I 
would  advise  you  to  proceed." 

"  Aye,  aye,  Toby,  all  in  good  time :  two  or  three  more 
such  famous  roots  as  this,  and  I  shall  be  with  you." 

The  residue  of  my  downward  progress  was  compara 
tively  easy ;  the  roots  were  in  greater  abundance,  and 
in  one  or  two  places  jutting  out  points  of  rock  assisted 
me  greatly.  In  a  few  moments  I  was  standing  by  the 
side  of  my  companion. 


RECONNOITRING  89 

Substituting  a  stout  stick  for  the  one  I  had  thrown 
aside  at  the  top  of  the  precipice,  we  now  continued  our 
course  along  the  bed  of  the  ravine.  Soon  we  were 
saluted  by  a  sound  in  advance,  that  grew  by  degrees 
louder  and  louder,  as  the  noise  of  the  cataract  we  were 
leaving  behind  gradually  died  on  our  ears. 

"  Another  precipice  for  us,  Toby." 

"Very  good;  we  can  descend  them,  you  know  — 
come  on." 

Nothing  indeed  appeared  to  depress  or  intimidate 
this  intrepid  fellow.  Typees  or  Niagaras,  he  was  as 
ready  to  engage  one  as  the  other,  and  I  could  not  avoid 
a  thousand  times  congratulating  myself  upon  having 
such  a  companion  in  an  enterprise  like  the  present. 

After  an  hour's  painful  progress,  we  reached  the  verge 
of  another  fall,  still  loftier  than  the  preceding,  and 
flanked  both  above  and  below  with  the  same  steep 
masses  of  rock,  presenting,  however,  here  and  there 
narrow  irregular  ledges,  supporting  a  shallow  soil,  on 
which  grew  a  variety  of  bushes  and  trees,  whose  bright 
verdure  contrasted  beautifully  with  the  foamy  waters 
that  flowed  between  them. 

Toby,  who  invariably  acted  as  pioneer,  now  proceeded 
to  reconnoitre.  On  his  return,  he  reported  that  the 
shelves  of  rock  on  our  right  would  enable  us  to  gain 
with  little  risk  the  bottom  of  the  cataract.  Accord 
ingly,  leaving  the  bed  of  the  stream  at  the  very  point 
where  it  thundered  down,  we  began  crawling  along  one 
of  these  sloping  ledges  until  it  carried  us  to  within  a 
few  feet  of  another  that  inclined  downward  at  a  still 
sharper  angle,  and  upon  which,  by  assisting  each  other, 
we  managed  to  alight  in  safety.  We  warily  crept  along 
this,  steadying  ourselves  by  the  naked  roots  of  the 


90  TTPEE 

shrubs  that  clung  to  every  fissure.  As  we  proceeded, 
the  narrow  path  became  still  more  contracted,  rendering 
it  difficult  for  us  to  maintain  our  footing,  until  sud 
denly,  as  we  reached  an  angle  of  the  wall  of  rock  where 
we  had  expected  it  to  widen,  we  perceived  to  our  con 
sternation  that  a  yard  or  two  farther  on  it  abruptly  ter 
minated  at  a  place  we  could  not  possibly  hope  to  pass. 

Toby  as  usual  led  the  van,  and  in  silence  I  waited  to 
learn  from  him  how  he  proposed  to  extricate  us  from 
this  new  difficulty. 

"  Well,  my  boy,"  I  exclaimed,  after  the  expiration  of 
several  minutes,  during  which  time  my  companion  had 
not  uttered  a  word;  "what's  to  be  done  now?" 

He  replied  in  a  tranquil  tone,  that  probably  the  best 
thing  we  could  do  in  our  present  strait  was  to  get  out 
of  it  as  soon  as  possible. 

"Yes,  my  dear  Toby,  but  tell  me  how  we  are  to  get 
out  of  it." 

"  Something  in  this  sort  of  style,"  he  replied ;  and  at 
the  same  moment  to  my  horror  he  slipped  sideways  off 
the  rock,  and  as  I  then  thought,  by  good  fortune 
merely  alighted  among  the  spreading  branches  of  a 
species  of  palm  tree,  that  shooting  its  hardy  roots  along 
a  ledge  below,  curved  its  trunk  upwards  into  the  air, 
and  presented  a  thick  mass  of  foliage  about  twenty  feet 
below  the  spot  where  we  had  thus  suddenly  been 
brought  to  a  stand  still.  I  involuntarily  held  my  breath, 
expecting  to  see  the  form  of  my  companion,  after  being 
sustained  for  a  moment  by  the  branches  of  the  tree, 
sink  through  their  frail  support,  and  fall  headlong  to 
the  bottom.  To  my  surprise  and  joy,  however,  he  recov 
ered  himself,  and  disentangling  his  limbs  from  the  frac 
tured  branches,  he  peered  out  from  his  leafy  bed,  and 


A  MIRACULOUS  FEAT  91 

shouted  lustily,  "  Come  on,  my  hearty,  there  is  no  other 
alternative ! "  and  with  this  he  ducked  beneath  the  foli 
age,  and  slipping  down  the  trunk,  stood  in  a  moment 
at  least  fifty  feet  beneath  me,  upon  the  broad  shelf  of 
rock  from  which  sprung  the  tree  he  had  descended. 

What  would  I  not  have  given  at  that  moment  to 
have  been  by  his  side !  The  feat  he  had  just  accom 
plished  seemed  little  less  than  miraculous,  and  I  could 
hardly  credit  the  evidence  of  my  senses  when  I  saw  the 
wide  distance  that  a  single  daring  act  had  so  suddenly 
placed  between  us. 

Toby's  animating  "  Come  on !  "  again  sounded  in  my 
ears,  and  dreading  to  lose  all  confidence  in  myself  if  I 
remained  meditating  upon  the  step,  I  once  more  gazed 
down  to  assure  myself  of  the  relative  bearing  of  the 
tree  and  my  own  position,  and  then  closing  my  eyes  and 
uttering  one  comprehensive  ejaculation  of  prayer,  I 
inclined  myself  over  towards  the  abyss,  and  after  one 
breathless  instant  fell  with  a  crash  into  the  tree,  the 
branches  snapping  and  crackling  with  my  weight,  as  I 
sunk  lower  and  lower  among  them,  until  I  was  stopped 
by  coming  in  contact  with  a  sturdy  limb. 

In  a  few  moments  I  was  standing  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree,  manipulating  myself  all  over  with  a  view  of  ascer 
taining  the  extent  of  the  injuries  I  had  received.  To  my 
surprise  the  only  effects  of  my  feat  were  a  few  slight  con 
tusions  too  trifling  to  care  about.  The  rest  of  our  descent 
was  easily  accomplished,  and  in  half  an  hour  after  re 
gaining  the  ravine  we  had  partaken  of  our  evening  mor 
sel,  built  our  hut  as  usual,  and  crawled  under  its  shelter. 

The  next  morning,  in  spite  of  our  debility  and  the 
agony  of  hunger  under  which  we  were  now  suffering, 
Qiough  neither  of  us  confessed  to  the  fact,  we  struggled 


92  TTPEE 

along  our  dismal  and  still  difficult  and  dangerous  path, 
cheered  by  the  hope  of  soon  catching  a  glimpse  of  the 
valley  before  us,  and  towards  evening  the  voice  of  a 
cataract  which  had  for  some  time  sounded  like  a  low 
deep  bass  to  the  music  of  the  smaller  waterfalls,  broke 
upon  our  ears  in  still  louder  tones,  and  assured  us  that 
we  were  approaching  its  vicinity. 

That  evening  we  stood  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice, 
over  which  the  dark  stream  bounded  in  one  final  leap  of 
full  three  hundred  feet.  The  sheer  descent  terminated 
in  the  region  we  so  long  had  sought.  On  either  side  of 
the  fall,  two  lofty  and  perpendicular  bluffs  buttressed 
the  sides  of  the  enormous  cliff,  and  projected  into  the 
sea  of  verdure  with  which  the  valley  waved,  and  a  range 
of  similar  projecting  eminences  stood  disposed  in  a  half 
circle  about  the  head  of  the  vale.  A  thick  canopy  of 
trees  hung  over  the  very  verge  of  the  fall,  leaving  an 
arched  aperture  for  the  passage  of  the  waters,  which 
imparted  a  strange  picturesqueness  to  the  scene. 

The  valley  was  now  before  us  ;  but  instead  of  being 
conducted  into  its  smiling  bosom  by  the  gradual  descent 
of  the  deep  water-course  we  had  thus  far  pursued,  all 
our  labours  now  appeared  to  have  been  rendered  futile 
by  its  abrupt  termination.  But,  bitterly  disappointed, 
we  did  not  entirely  despair. 

As  it  was  now  near  sunset  we  determined  to  pass  the 
night  where  we  were,  and  on  the  morrow,  refreshed  by 
sleep  and  by  eating  at  one  meal  all  our  stock  of  food,  to 
accomplish  a  descent  into  the  valley,  or  perish  in  the 
attempt. 

We  laid  ourselves  down  that  night  on  a  spot,  the 
recollection  of  which  still  makes  me  shudder.  A  small 
table  of  rock  which  projected  over  the  precipice  on  one 


THEY  REACH  THE  VALE  93 

side  of  the  stream,  and  was  drenched  by  the  spray  of 
the  fall,  sustained  a  huge  trunk  of  a  tree  which  must 
have  been  deposited  there  by  some  heavy  freshet.  It 
lay  obliquely,  with  one  end  resting  on  the  rock  and  the 
other  supported  by  the  side  of  the  ravine.  Against  it 
we  placed  in  a  sloping  direction  a  number  of  the  half 
decayed  boughs  that  were  strewn  about,  and  covering 
the  whole  with  twigs  and  leaves,  awaited  the  morning's 
light  beneath  such  shelter  as  it  afforded. 

During  the  whole  of  this  night  the  continual  roaring 
of  the  cataract — the  dismal  moaning  of  the  gale  through 
the  trees  —  the  pattering  of  the  rain,  and  the  profound 
darkness,  affected  my  spirits  to  a  degree  which  nothing 
had  ever  before  produced.  Wet,  half  famished,  and 
chilled  to  the  heart  with  the  dampness  of  the  place,  and 
nearly  wild  with  the  pain  I  endured,  I  fairly  cowered 
down  to  the  earth  under  this  multiplication  of  hardships, 
and  abandoned  myself  to  frightful  anticipations  of  evil ; 
and  my  companion,  whose  spirit  at  last  was  a  good  deal 
broken,  scarcely  uttered  a  word  during  the  whole  night. 

At  length  the  day  dawned  upon  us,  and  rising  from 
our  miserable  pallet,  we  stretched  our  stiffened  joints, 
and  after  eating  all  that  remained  of  our  bread,  prepared 
for  the  last  stage  of  our  journey. 

I  will  not  recount  every  hair-breadth  escape,  and  every 
fearful  difficulty  that  occurred  before  we  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  bosom  of  the  valley.  As  I  have  already 
described  similar  scenes,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say  that 
at  length,  after  great  toil  and  great  dangers,  we  both 
stood  with  no  limbs  broken  at  the  head  of  that  magnifi 
cent  vale  which  five  days  before  had  so  suddenly  burst 
upon  my  sight,  and  almost  beneath  the  shadows  of  those 
very  cliffs  from  whose  summits  we  had  gazed  upon  the 
prospect. 


94  TTPSB 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Head  of  the  Valley  —  Cautious  Advance  —  A  Path  —  Fruit  —  Dis 
covery  of  Two  of  the  Natives  —  Their  Singular  Conduct  —  Approach 
towards  the  Inhabited  Parts  of  the  Vale  —  Sensation  produced  by 
our  Appearance  —  Reception  at  the  House  of  one  of  the  Natives. 

How  to  obtain  the  fruit  which  we  felt  convinced 
must  grow  near  at  hand  was  our  first  thought. 

Typee  or  Happar  ?  A  frightful  death  at  the  hands  of 
the  fiercest  of  cannibals,  or  a  kindly  reception  from  a 
gentler  race  of  savages  ?  Which  ?  But  it  was  too  late 
now  to  discuss  a  question  which  would  so  soon  be 
answered. 

The  part  of  the  valley  in  which  we  found  ourselves 
appeared  to  be  altogether  uninhabited.  An  almost  im 
penetrable  thicket  extended  from  side  to  side,  without 
presenting  a  single  plant  affording  the  nourishment  we 
had  confidently  calculated  upon ;  and  with  this  object, 
we  followed  the  course  of  the  stream,  casting  quick 
glances  as  we  proceeded  into  the  thick  jungles  on  either 
hand. 

My  companion  —  to  whose  solicitations  I  had  yielded 
in  descending  into  the  valley  —  now  that  the  step  was 
taken,  began  to  manifest  a  degree  of  caution  I  had  little 
expected  from  him.  He  proposed  that,  in  the  event  of 
our  finding  an  adequate  supply  of  fruit,  we  should  re 
main  in  this  unfrequented  portion  of  the  country  — 
where  we  should  run  little  chance  of  being  surprised  by 
its  occupants,  whoever  they  might  be  —  until  suffi- 


CAUTIOUS  ADVANCE  95 

ciently  recruited  to  resume  our  journey,  when  laying  in 
a  store  of  food  equal  to  our  wants,  we  might  easily 
regain  the  bay  of  Nukuheva,  after  the  lapse  of  a  suffi 
cient  interval  to  ensure  the  departure  of  our  vessel. 

I  objected  strongly  to  this  proposition,  plausible  as 
it  was,  as  the  difficulties  of  the  route  would  be  almost 
insurmountable,  unacquainted  as  we  were  with  the 
general  bearings  of  the  country,  and  I  reminded  my 
companion  of  the  hardships  which  we  had  already  en 
countered  in  our  uncertain  wanderings;  in  a  word,  I 
said  that  since  we  had  deemed  it  advisable  to  enter  the 
valley,  we  ought  manfully  to  face  the  consequences, 
whatever  they  might  be ;  the  more  especially  as  I  was 
convinced  there  was  no  alternative  left  us  but  to  fall 
in  with  the  natives  at  once,  and  boldly  risk  the  recep 
tion  they  might  give  us :  and  that  as  to  myself,  I  felt 
the  necessity  of  rest  and  shelter,  and  that  until  I  had 
obtained  them  I  should  be  wholly  unable  to  encounter 
such  sufferings  as  we  had  lately  passed  through.  To 
the  justice  of  these  observations  Toby  somewhat  reluc 
tantly  assented. 

We  were  surprised  that,  after  moving  as  far  as  we 
had  along  the  valley,  we  should  still  meet  with  the 
same  impervious  thickets,  and  thinking  that  although 
the  borders  of  the  stream  might  be  lined  for  some  dis 
tance  with  them,  yet  beyond  there  might  be  more  open 
ground,  I  requested  Toby  to  keep  a  bright  look-out 
upon  one  side,  while  I  did  the  same  on  the  other,  in 
order  to  discover  some  opening  in  the  bushes,  and 
especially  to  watch  for  the  slightest  appearance  of  a 
path,  or  anything  else  that  might  indicate  the  vicinity 
of  the  islanders. 

What  furtive  and  anxious  glances  we  cast  into  those 


96  TTPEE 

dim-looking  shades!  With  what  apprehensions  we 
proceeded,  ignorant  at  what  moment  we  might  be 
greeted  by  the  javelin  of  some  ambushed  savage  !  At 
last  my  companion  paused,  and  directed  my  attention 
to  a  narrow  opening  in  the  foliage.  We  struck  into 
it  and  it  soon  brought  us,  by  an  indistinctly  traced 
path,  to  a  comparatively  clear  space,  at  the  further  end 
of  which  we  descried  a  number  of  the  trees,  the  native 
name  of  which  is  "annuee,"  and  which  bear  a  most 
delicious  fruit. 

What  a  race !  I  hobbling  over  the  ground  like  some 
decrepit  wretch,  and  Toby  leaping  forward  like  a  grey 
hound.  He  quickly  cleared  one  of  the  trees  on  which 
there  were  two  or  three  of  the  fruit,  but  to  our  chagrin 
they  proved  to  be  much  decayed ;  the  rinds  partly  opened 
by  the  birds,  and  their  hearts  half  devoured.  How 
ever,  we  quickly  despatched  them,  and  no  ambrosia 
could  have  been  more  delicious. 

We  looked  about  us,  uncertain  whither  to  direct  our 
steps,  since  the  path  we  had  so  far  followed  appeared 
to  be  lost  in  the  open  space  around  us.  At  last  we  re 
solved  to  enter  a  grove  near  at  hand,  and  had  advanced 
a  few  rods  when,  just  upon  its  skirts,  I  picked  up  a 
slender  bread-fruit  shoot,  perfectly  green,  and  with  the 
tender  bark  freshly  stript  from  it.  It  was  still  slippery 
with  moisture,  and  appeared  as  if  it  had  been  but  that 
moment  thrown  aside.  I  said  nothing,  but  merely  held 
it  up  to  Toby,  who  started  at  this  undeniable  evidence 
of  the  vicinity  of  the  savages. 

The  plot  was  now  thickening.  A  short  distance 
further  lay  a  little  fagot  of  the  same  shoots  bound 
together  with  a  strip  of  bark.  Could  it  have  been 
thrown  down  by  some  solitary  native  who,  alarmed  at 


THEIR  MEETING   WITH  NATIVES  97 

seeing  us,  had  hurried  forward  to  carry  the  tidings  of 
our  approach  to  his  countrymen?  Typee  or  Happar? 
But  it  was  too  late  to  recede,  so  we  moved  on  slowly, 
my  companion  in  advance,  casting  eager  glances  under 
the  trees  on  either  side,  until  all  at  once  I  saw  him 
recoil  as  if  stung  by  an  adder.  Sinking  on  his  knee, 
he  waved  me  off  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he 
held  aside  some  intervening  leaves,  and  gazed  intently 
at  some  object. 

Disregarding  his  injunction,  I  quickly  approached 
him,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  two  figures  partly  hidden 
by  the  dense  foliage ;  they  were  standing  close  together, 
and  were  perfectly  motionless.  They  must  have  pre 
viously  perceived  us,  and  withdrawn  into  the  depths  of 
the  wood  to  elude  our  observation. 

My  mind  was  at  once  made  up.  Dropping  my  staff, 
and  tearing  open  the  package  of  things  we  had  brought 
from  the  ship,  I  unrolled  the  cotton  cloth,  and  holding 
it  in  one  hand,  plucked  with  the  other  a  twig  from  the 
bushes  beside  me,  and  telling  Toby  to  follow  my  ex 
ample,  I  broke  through  the  covert  and  advanced,  wav 
ing  the  branch  in  token  of  peace,  towards  the  shrinking 
forms  before  me. 

They  were  a  boy  and  girl,  slender  and  graceful,  and 
completely  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  slight  girdle 
of  bark,  from  which  depended  at  opposite  points  two 
of  the  russet  leaves  of  the  bread-fruit  tree.  An  arm  of 
the  boy,  half  screened  from  sight  by  her  wild  tresses, 
was  thrown  about  the  neck  of  the  girl,  vhile  with  the 
other  he  held  one  of  her  hands  in  his ;  and  thus  they 
stood  together,  their  heads  inclined  forward,  catching 
the  faint  noise  we  made  in  our  progress,  and  with  one 
foot  in  advance,  as  if  half  inclined  to  fly  from  oui 
resence. 


98  TYPES 

As  we  drew  near  their  alarm  evidently  increased. 
Apprehensive  that  they  might  fly  from  us  altogether,  I 
stopped  short  and  motioned  them  to  advance  and  receive 
the  gift  I  extended  towards  them,  but  they  would  not; 
I  then  uttered  a  few  words  of  their  language  with 
which  I  was  acquainted,  scarcely  expecting  that  they 
would  understand  me,  but  to  show  that  we  had  not 
dropped  from  the  clouds  upon  them.  This  appeared  to 
give  them  a  little  confidence,  so  I  approached  nearer, 
presenting  the  cloth  with  one  hand  and  holding  the 
bough  with  the  other,  while  they  slowly  retreated. 
At  last  they  suffered  us  to  approach  so  near  to  them 
that  ve  were  enabled  to  throw  the  cotton  cloth  across 
their  shoulders,  giving  them  to  understand  that  it  was 
theirs,  and  by  a  variety  of  gestures  endeavouring  to 
make  them  understand  that  we  entertained  the  highest 
possible  regard  for  them. 

The  frightened  pair  now  stood  still,  whilst  we 
endeavoured  to  make  them  comprehend  the  nature  of 
our  wants.  In  doing  this  Toby  went  through  with  a 
complete  series  of  pantomimic  illustrations  —  opening 
his  mouth  from  ear  to  ear  and,  thrusting  his  fingers 
down  his  throat,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  rolling  his 
eyes  about,  till  I  verily  believe  the  poor  creatures  took 
us  for  a  couple  of  white  cannibals  who  were  about  to 
make  a  meal  of  them.  When,  however,  they  under 
stood  us,  they  showed  no  inclination  to  relieve  our 
wants.  At  this  juncture  it  began  to  rain  violently, 
and  we  motioned  them  to  lead  us  to  some  place  of 
shelter.  With  this  request  they  appeared  willing  to 
comply,  but  nothing  could  evince  more  strongly  the 
apprehension  with  which  they  regarded  us,  than  the 
way  in  which,  whilst  walking  before  us,  they  kept  their 


THEIR  SINGULAR  CONDUCT  99 

eyes  constantly  turned  back  to  watch  every  movement 
we  made,  and  even  our  very  looks. 

"  Typee  or  Happar,  Toby  ?  "  asked  I  as  we  walked 
after  thsm. 

"  Of  course  Happar, "  he  replied  with  a  show  of  con 
fidence  which  was  intended  to  disguise  his  doubts. 

"  We  shall  soon  know, "  I  exclaimed ;  and  at  the  same 
moment  I  stepped  forward  towards  our  guides,  and  pro 
nouncing  the  two  names  interrogatively  and  pointing 
to  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley,  endeavoured  to  come 
to  the  point  at  once.  They  repeated  the  words  after 
me  again  and  again,  but  without  giving  any  peculiar 
emphasis  to  either,  so  that  I  was  completely  at  a  loss 
to  understand  them ;  for  a  couple  of  wilier  young  things 
than  we  afterwards  found  them  to  have  been  on  this 
particular  occasion  never  probably  fell  in  any  traveller's 
way. 

More  and  more  curious  to  ascertain  our  fate,  I  now 
threw  together  in  the  form  of  a  question  the  words 
"  Happar  "  and  "  Motarkee,"  the  latter  being  equivalent 
to  the  word  "good."  The  two  natives  interchanged 
glances  of  peculiar  meaning  with  one  another  at  this, 
and  manifested  no  little  surprise ;  but  on  the  repetition 
of  the  question,  after  some  consultation  together,  to  the 
great  joy  of  Toby,  they  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
Toby  was  now  in  ecstasies,  especially  as  the  young 
savages  continued  to  reiterate  their  answer  with  great 
energy,  as  though  desirous  of  impressing  us  with  the 
idea  that  being  among  the  Happars,  we  ought  to  con 
sider  ourselves  perfectly  secure. 

Although  I  had  some  lingering  doubts,  I  feigned 
great  delight  with  Toby  at  this  announcement,  while 
my  companion  broke  out  into  a  pantomimic  abhorrence 


100  TYPEE 

of  Typee,  and  immeasurable  love  for  the  particular 
valley  in  which  we  were ;  our  guides  all  the  while  gaz 
ing  uneasily  at  one  another  as  if  at  a  loss  to  account 
for  our  conduct. 

They  hurried  on,  and  we  followed  them ;  until  sud 
denly  they  set  up  a  strange  halloo,  which  was  answered 
from  beyond  the  grove  through  which  we  were  passing, 
and  the  next  moment  we  entered  upon  some  open 
ground,  at  the  extremity  of  which  we  descried  a  long, 
low  hut,  and  in  front  of  it  were  several  young  girls. 
As  soon  as  they  perceived  us  they  fled  with  wild 
screams  into  the  adjoining  thickets,  like  so  many 
startled  fawns.  A  few  moments  after  the  whole  valley 
resounded  with  savage  outcries,  and  the  natives  came 
running  towards  us  from  every  direction. 

Had  an  army  of  invaders  made  an  irruption  into 
their  territory  they  could  not  have  evinced  greater 
excitement.  We  were  soon  completely  encircled  by  a 
dense  throng,  and  in  their  eager  desire  to  behold  us 
they  almost  arrested  our  progress ;  an  equal  number 
surrounding  our  youthful  guides,  who  with  amazing 
volubility  appeared  to  be  detailing  the  circumstances 
which  had  attended  their  meeting  with  us.  Every 
item  of  intelligence  appeared  to  redouble  the  astonish 
ment  of  the  islanders,  and  they  gazed  at  us  with 
inquiring  looks. 

At  last  we  reached  a  large  and  handsome  building 
of  bamboos,  and  were  by  signs  told  to  enter  it,  the 
natives  opening  a  lane  for  us  through  which  to  pass ;  on 
entering  without  ceremony,  we  threw  our  exhausted 
frames  upon  the  mats  that  covered  the  floor.  In  a 
moment  the  slight  tenement  was  completely  full  of 
people,  whilst  those  who  were  unable  to  obtain  admit 
tance  gazed  at  us  through  its  open  cane-work. 


INTERIOR   OF  THE  CHIEF'S  HUT  101 

It  was  now  evening,  and  by  the  dim  light  we  could 
just  discern  the  savage  countenances  around  us,  gleam 
ing  with  wild  curiosity  and  wonder ;  the  naked  forms 
and  tatooed  limbs  of  brawny  warriors,  with  here  and 
there  the  slighter  figures  of  young  girls,  all  engaged  in 
a  perfect  storm  of  conversation,  of  which  we  were  of 
course  the  one  only  theme;  whilst  our  recent  guides 
were  fully  occupied  in  answering  the  innumerable 
questions  which  every  one  put  to  them.  Nothing  can 
exceed  the  fierce  gesticulation  of  these  people  when 
animated  in  conversation,  and  on  this  occasion  they 
gave  loose  to  all  their  natural  vivacity,  shouting  and 
dancing  about  in  a  manner  that  well-nigh  intimidated 
us. 

Close  to  where  we  lay,  squatting  upon  their  haunches, 
were  some  eight  or  ten  noble-looking  chiefs  —  for  such 
they  subsequently  proved  to  be  —  who,  more  reserved 
than  the  rest,  regarded  us  with  a  fixed  and  stern  atten 
tion,  which  not  a  little  discomposed  our  equanimity. 
One  of  them  in  particular,  who  appeared  to  be  the 
highest  in  rank,  placed  himself  directly  facing  me; 
looking  at  me  with  a  rigidity  of  aspect  under  which  I 
absolutely  quailed.  He  never  once  opened  his  lips,  but 
maintained  his  severe  expression  of  countenance,  with 
out  turning  his  face  aside  for  a  single  moment.  Never 
before  had  I  been  subjected  to  so  strange  and  steady  a 
glance ;  it  revealed  nothing  of  the  mind  of  the  savage, 
but  it  appeared  to  be  reading  my  own. 

After  undergoing  this  scrutiny  till  I  grew  absolutely 
nervous,  with  a  view  of  diverting  it  if  possible,  and 
conciliating  the  good  opinion  of  the  warrior,  I  took 
some  tobacco  from  the  bosom  of  my  frock  and  offered  it 
to  him.  He  quietly  rejected  the  proffered  gift,  and, 


102  TYPEE 

without  speaking,  motioned  me  to  return  it  to  its 
place. 

In  my  previous  intercourse  with  the  natives  of 
Nukuheva  and  Tior,  I  had  found  that  the  present  of  a 
small  piece  of  tobacco  would  have  rendered  any  of  them 
devoted  to  my  service.  Was  this  act  of  the  chief  a 
token  of  his  enmity?  Typee  or  Happar?  I  asked 
within  myself.  I  started,  for  at  the  same  moment  this 
identical  question  was  asked  by  the  strange  being 
before  me.  I  turned  to  Toby;  the  flickering  light  of 
a  native  taper  showed  me  his  countenance  pale  with 
trepidation  at  this  fatal  question.  I  paused  for  a 
second,  and  I  know  not  by  what  impulse  it  was  that 
I  answered  "Typee."  The  piece  of  dusky  statuary 
nodded  in  approval,  and  then  murmured  "Motarkee!" 
—  "Motarkee,"  said  I,  without  further  hesitation  — 
"Typee  motarkee." 

What  a  transition!  The  dark  figures  around  us 
leaped  to  their  feet,  clapped  their  hands  in  transport, 
and  shouted  again  and  again  the  talismanic  syllables, 
the  utterance  of  which  appeared  to  have  settled  every 
thing. 

When  this  commotion  had  a  little  subsided,  the  princi 
pal  chief  squatted  once  more  before  me,  and  throwing 
himself  into  a  sudden  rage,  poured  forth  a  string  of 
philippics,  which  I  was  at  no  loss  to  understand,  from 
the  frequent  recurrence  of  the  word  Happar,  as  being 
directed  against  the  natives  of  the  adjoining  valley.  In 
all  these  denunciations  my  companion  and  I  acquiesced, 
while  we  extolled  the  character  of  the  warlike  Typees. 
To  be  sure  our  panegyrics  were  somewhat  laconic,  con 
sisting  in  the  repetition  of  that  name,  united  with  the 
potent  adjective  "  motarkee."  But  this  was  sufficient, 


FRIENDLY  BEHAVIOUR  OF  NATIVES  103 

and  served  to  conciliate  the  good  will  of  the  natives, 
with  whom  our  congeniality  of  sentiment  on  this  point 
did  more  towards  inspiring  a  friendly  feeling  than  any 
thing  else  that  could  have  happened. 

At  last  the  wrath  of  the  chief  evaporated,  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  was  as  placid  as  ever.  Laying  his  hand 
upon  his  breast,  he  now  gave  me  to  understand  that  his 
name  was  "  Mehevi,"  and  that,  in  return,  he  wished  me 
to  communicate  my  appellation.  I  hesitated  for  an  in 
stant,  thinking  that  it  might  be  difficult  for  him  to  pro 
nounce  my  real  name,  and  then  with  the  most  praise 
worthy  intentions  intimated  that  I  was  known  as  "  Tom." 
But  I  could  not  have  made  a  worse  selection ;  the  chief 
could  not  master  it;  "  Tommo,"  "  Tomma,"  "  Tommee," 
everything  but  plain  "  Tom."  As  he  persisted  in  gar 
nishing  the  word  with  an  additional  syllable,  I  com 
promised  the  matter  with  him  at  the  word  "  Tommo," 
and  by  that  name  I  went  during  the  entire  period  of  my 
stay  in  the  valley.  The  same  proceeding  was  gone 
through  with  Toby,  whose  mellifluous  appellation  was 
more  easily  caught. 

An  exchange  of  names  is  equivalent  to  a  ratification 
of  good  will  and  amity  among  these  simple  people ;  and 
as  we  were  aware  of  this  fact,  we  were  delighted  that 
it  had  taken  place  on  the  present  occasion. 

Reclining  upon  our  mats,  we  now  held  a  kind  of 
levee,  giving  audience  to  successive  troops  of  the  natives, 
who  introduced  themselves  to  us  by  pronouncing  their 
respective  names,  and  retired  in  high  good  humour  on 
receiving  ours  in  return.  During  this  ceremony  the 
greatest  merriment  prevailed,  nearly  every  announce 
ment  on  the  part  of  the  islanders  being  followed  by  a 
fresh  sally  of  gayety,  which  induced  me  to  believe  that 


104  TTPEE 

some  of  them  at  least  were  innocently  diverting  the 
company  at  our  expense,  by  bestowing  upon  themselves 
a  string  of  absurd  titles,  of  the  humour  of  which  we 
were  of  course  entirely  ignorant. 

All  this  occupied  about  an  hour,  when  the  throng  hav 
ing  a  little  diminished,  I  turned  to  Mehevi  and  gave  him 
to  understand  that  we  were  in  need  of  food  and  sleep. 
Immediately  the  attentive  chief  addressed  a  few  words 
to  one  of  the  crowd,  who  disappeared,  and  returned  in  a 
few  moments  with  a  calabash  of  upoee-poee,"  and  two  or 
three  young  cocoa-nuts  stripped  of  their  husks,  and  with 
their  shells  partly  broken.  We  both  of  us  forthwith 
placed  one  of  these  natural  goblets  to  our  lips,  and 
drained  it  in  a  moment  of  the  refreshing  draught  it 
contained.  The  poee-poee  was  then  placed  before  us, 
and  even  famished  as  I  was,  I  paused  to  consider  in 
what  manner  to  convey  it  to  my  mouth. 

This  staple  article  of  food  among  the  Marquese 
islanders  is  manufactured  from  the  produce  of  the 
bread-fruit  tree.  It  somewhat  resembles  in  its  plastic 
nature  our  bookbinders'  paste,  is  of  a  yellow  colour, 
and  somewhat  tart  to  the  taste. 

Such  was  the  dish,  the  merits  of  which  I  was  now 
eager  to  discuss.  I  eyed  it  wistfully  for  a  moment,  and 
then  unable  any  longer  to  stand  on  ceremony,  plunged 
my  hand  into  the  yielding  mass,  and  to  the  boisterous 
mirth  of  the  natives  drew  it  forth  laden  with  the  poee- 
poee,  which  adhered  in  lengthy  strings  to  every  finger. 
So  stubborn  was  its  consistency,  that  in  conveying  my 
heavily  freighted  hand  to  my  mouth,  the  connecting 
links  almost  raised  the  calabash  from  the  mats  on 
which  it  had  been  placed.  This  display  of  awkward 
ness  —  in  which,  by  the  by,  Toby  kept  me  company  — • 


A  BANQUET  105 

convulsed  the  bystanders  with  uncontrollable  laugh 
ter. 

As  soon  as  their  merriment  had  somewhat  subsided, 
Mehevi,  motioning  us  to  be  attentive,  dipped  the  fore 
finger  of  his  right  hand  in  the  dish,  and  giving  it  a 
rapid  and  scientific  twirl,  drew  it  out  coated  smoothly 
with  the  preparation.  With  a  second  peculiar  flourish 
he  prevented  the  poee-poee  from  dropping  to  the  ground 
as  he  raised  it  to  his  mouth,  into  which  the  finger  was 
inserted  and  drawn  forth  perfectly  free  from  any  adhe 
sive  matter.  This  performance  was  evidently  intended 
for  our  instruction ;  so  I  again  essayed  the  feat  on  the 
principles  inculcated,  but  with  very  ill  success. 

A  starving  man,  however,  little  heeds  conventional 
proprieties,  especially  on  a  South-Sea  Island,  and  accord 
ingly  Toby  and  I  partook  of  the  dish  after  our  own 
clumsy  fashion,  beplastering  our  faces  all  over  with  the 
glutinous  compound,  and  daubing  our  hands  nearly  to 
the  wrist.  This  kind  of  food  is  by  no  means  disagree 
able  to  the  palate  of  a  European,  though  at  first  the 
mode  of  eating  it  may  be.  For  my  own  part,  after  the 
lapse  of  a  few  days  I  became  accustomed  to  its  singular 
flavour,  and  I  grew  remarkably  fond  of  it. 

So  much  for  the  first  course ;  several  other  dishes  fol 
lowed  it,  some  of  which  were  positively  delicious.  We 
concluded  our  banquet  by  tossing  off  the  contents  of  two 
more  young  cocoa-nuts,  after  which  we  regaled  ourselves 
with  the  soothing  fumes  of  tobacco,  inhaled  from  a 
quaintly  carved  pipe  which  passed  round  the  circle. 

During  the  repast,  the  natives  eyed  us  with  intense 
curiosity,  observing  our  minutest  motions,  and  appearing 
to  discover  abundant  matter  for  comment  in  the  most 
trifling  occurrence.  Their  surprise  mounted  the  highest, 


106  TYPES 

when  we  began  to  remove  our  uncomfortable  garments, 
which  were  saturated  with  rain.  They  scanned  the 
whiteness  of  our  limbs,  and  seemed  utterly  unable  to 
account  for  the  contrast  they  presented  to  the  swarthy 
hue  of  our  faces,  embrowned  from  a  six  months'  ex 
posure  to  the  scorching  sun  of  the  Line.  They  felt  our 
skin,  much  in  the  same  way  that  a  silk  mercer  would 
handle  a  remarkably  fine  piece  of  satin ;  and  some  of 
them  went  so  far  in  their  investigation  as  to  apply  the 
olfactory  organ. 

Their  singular  behaviour  almost  led  me  to  imagine 
that  they  never  before  had  beheld  a  white  man ;  but  a 
few  moments'  reflection  convinced  me  that  this  could 
not  have  been  the  case ;  and  a  more  satisfactory  reason 
for  their  conduct  has  since  suggested  itself  to  my  mind. 

Deterred  by  the  frightful  stories  related  of  its  inhabit 
ants,  ships  never  enter  this  bay,  while  their  hostile  re 
lations  with  the  tribes  in  the  adjoining  valleys  prevent 
the  Typees  from  visiting  that  section  of  the  island 
where  vessels  occasionally  lie.  At  long  intervals,  how 
ever,  some  intrepid  captain  will  touch  on  the  skirts  of 
the  bay,  with  two  or  three  armed  boats'  crews,  and 
accompanied  by  an  interpreter.  The  natives  who  live 
near  the  sea  descry  the  strangers  long  before  they  reach 
their  waters,  and  aware  of  the  purpose  for  which  they 
come,  proclaim  loudly  the  news  of  their  approach.  By 
a  species  of  vocal  telegraph  the  intelligence  reaches  the 
inmost  recesses  of  the  vale  in  an  inconceivably  short 
space  of  time,  drawing  nearly  its  whole  population  down 
to  the  beach  laden  with  every  variety  of  fruit.  The 
interpreter,  who  is  invariably  a  "  tabooed  kanaka,1  leaps 

1  The  word  "  kanaka  "  is  at  the  present  day  universally  used  in  the 
South  Seas  by  Europeans  to  designate  the  Islanders.  In  the  various 


SLIGHT  INTERCOURSE   WITS  EUROPEANS      107 

ashore  with  the  goods  intended  for  barter,  while  the 
boats,  with  their  oars  shipped,  and  every  man  on  his 
thwart,  lie  just  outside  the  surf,  heading  off  from  the 
shore,  in  readiness  at  the  first  untoward  event  to  escape 
to  the  open  sea.  As  soon  as  the  traffic  is  concluded, 
one  of  the  boats  pulls  in  under  cover  of  the  muskets  of 
the  others,  the  fruit  is  quickly  thrown  into  her,  and  the 
transient  visitors  precipitately  retire  from  what  they 
justly  consider  so  dangerous  a  vicinity. 

The  intercourse  occurring  with  Europeans  being  so 
restricted,  no  wonder  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley 
manifested  so  much  curiosity  with  regard  to  us,  appear 
ing  as  we  did  among  them  under  such  singular  circum 
stances.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  were  the  first  white 
men  who  ever  penetrated  thus  far  back  into  their  terri 
tories,  or  at  least  the  first  who  had  ever  descended  from 
the  head  of  the  vale.  What  had  brought  us  thither 
must  have  appeared  a  complete  mystery  to  them,  and 
from  our  ignorance  of  the  language  it  was  impossible 
for  us  to  enlighten  them.  In  answer  to  inquiries 
which  the  eloquence  of  their  gestures  enabled  us  to 
comprehend,  all  that  we  could  reply  was,  that  we  had 
come  from  Nukuheva,  a  place,  be  it  remembered,  with 
which  they  were  at  open  war.  This  intelligence 
appeared  to  affect  them  with  the  most  lively  emotions. 
"Nukuheva  motarkee?"  they  asked.  Of  course  we 
replied  most  energetically  in  the  negative. 

dialects  of  the  principal  groups  it  is  simply  a  sexual  designation 
applied  to  the  males;  but  it  is  now  used  by  the  natives  in  their  inter 
course  with  foreigners  in  the  same  sense  in  which  the  latter  employ 
it. 

A  "  Tabooed  kanaka  "  is  an  islander  whose  person  has  been  made 
to  a  certain  extent  sacred  by  the  operation  of  a  singular  custom  here 
after  to  be  explained. 


108  TYPES 

They  then  plied  us  with  a  thousand  questions,  of 
which  we  could  understand  nothing  more  than  that 
they  had  reference  to  the  recent  movements  of  the 
French,  against  whom  they  seemed  to  cherish  the  most 
fierce  hatred.  So  eager  were  they  to  obtain  informa 
tion  on  this  point,  that  they  still  continued  to  propound 
their  queries  long  after  we  had  shown  that  we  were 
utterly  unable  to  answer  them.  Occasionally  we  caught 
some  indistinct  idea  of  their  meaning,  when  we  would 
endeavour  by  every  method  in  our  power  to  communi 
cate  the  desired  intelligence.  At  such  times  their 
gratification  was  boundless,  and  they  would  redouble 
their  efforts  to  make  us  comprehend  them  more  per 
fectly.  But  all  in  vain ;  and  in  the  end  they  looked  at 
us  despairingly,  as  if  we  were  the  receptacles  of  invalu 
able  information ;  but  how  to  come  at  it  they  knew  not. 

After  a  while  the  group  around  us  gradually  dis 
persed,  and  we  were  left  about  midnight  (as  we  con 
jectured)  with  those  who  appeared  to  be  permanent 
residents  of  the  house.  These  individuals  now  pro 
vided  us  with  fresh  mats  to  lie  upon,  covered  us  with 
several  folds  of  tappa,  and  then  extinguishing  the 
tapers  that  had  been  burning,  threw  themselves  down 
beside  us,  and  after  a  little  desultory  conversation  were 
soon  sound  asleep. 


MIDNIGHT  REFLECTIONS  109 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Midnight  Reflections  —  Morning  Visitors  —  A  Warrior  in  Costume 
—  A  Savage  JEsculapius  —  Practice  of  the  Healing  Art  —  Body  Ser 
vant —  A  Dwelling-house  of  the  Valley  described — Portraits  of  its 
Inmates. 

VARIOUS  and  conflicting  were  the  thoughts  which  op 
pressed  me  during  the  silent  hours  that  followed  the 
events  related  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Toby,  wearied 
with  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  slumbered  heavily  by  my 
side ;  but  the  pain  under  which  I  was  suffering  effectu 
ally  prevented  my  sleeping,  and  I  remained  distressingly 
alive  to  all  the  fearful  circumstances  of  our  present  situ 
ation.  Was  it  possible  that,  after  all  our  vicissitudes, 
we  were  really  in  the  terrible  valley  of  Typee,  and  at  the 
mercy  of  its  inmates,  fierce  and  unrelenting  tribe  of 
savages  ? 

Typee  or  Happar  ?  I  shuddered  when  I  reflected  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  room  for  doubt ;  and  that,  be 
yond  all  hope  of  escape,  we  were  now  placed  in  those 
very  circumstances  from  the  bare  thought  of  which  I  had 
recoiled  with  such  abhorrence  but  a  few  days  before. 
What  might  not  be  our  fearful  destiny  ?  To  be  sure,  as 
yet  we  had  been  treated  with  no  violence ;  nay,  had  been 
even  kindly  and  hospitably  entertained.  But  what  de 
pendence  could  be  placed  upon  the  fickle  passions  which 
sway  the  bosom  of  a  savage  ?  His  inconstancy  and 
treachery  are  proverbial.  Might  it  not  be  that  beneath 
these  fair  appearances  the  islanders  covered  some  perfid- 


110  TTPEE 

ious  design,  and  that  their  friendly  reception  of  us  might 
only  precede  some  horrible  catastrophe  ?  How  strongly 
did  these  forebodings  spring  up  in  my  mind  as  I  lay  rest- 
lessly  upon  a  couch  of  mats,  surrounded  by  the  dimly 
revealed  forms  of  those  whom  I  so  greatly  dreaded ! 

From  the  excitement  of  these  fearful  thoughts  I  sank 
towards  morning  into  an  uneasy  slumber  ;  and  on  awak 
ing,  with  a  start,  in  the  midst  of  an  appalling  dream, 
looked  up  into  the  eager  countenances  of  a  number  of 
the  natives,  who  were  bending  over  me. 

It  was  broad  day ;  and  the  house  was  nearly  filled 
with  young  females,  fancifully  decorated  with  flowers, 
who  gazed  upon  me  as  I  rose  with  faces  in  which  childish 
delight  and  curiosity  were  vividly  portrayed.  After 
waking  Toby,  they  seated  themselves  round  us  on  the 
mats,  and  gave  full  play  to  that  prying  inquisitiveness 
which  time  out  of  mind  has  been  attributed  to  the  ador 
able  sex. 

As  these  unsophisticated  young  creatures  were  at 
tended  by  no  jealous  duennas,  their  proceedings  were 
altogether  informal,  and  void  of  artificial  restraint.  Long 
and  minute  was  the  investigation  with  which  they  hon 
oured  us,  and  so  uproarious  their  mirth,  that  I  felt  in 
finitely  sheepish ;  and  Toby  was  immeasurably  outraged 
at  their  familiarity. 

These  lively  young  ladies  were  at  the  same  time  won 
derfully  polite  and  humane ;  fanning  aside  the  insects 
that  occasionally  lighted  on  our  brows ;  presenting  us 
with  food;  and  compassionately  regarding  me  in  the 
midst  of  my  afflictions.  But  in  spite  of  all  their  bland 
ishments,  my  feelings  of  propriety  were  exceedingly 
shocked,  for  I  could  not  but  consider  them  as  having 
overstepped  the  due  limits  of  female  decorum. 


A    WARRIOR  IN  HIS  COSTUME  111 

Having  diverted  themselves  to  their  hearts'  content, 
our  young  visitants  now  withdrew,  and  gave  place  to 
successive  troops  of  the  other  sex,  who  continued  flock 
ing  towards  the  house  until  near  noon ;  by  which  time 
I  have  no  doubt  that  the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  valley  had  bathed  themselves  in  the  light  of  our 
benignant  countenances. 

At  last,  when  their  numbers  began  to  diminish,  a 
superb-looking  warrior  stooped  the  towering  plumes  of 
his  head-dress  beneath  the  low  portal,  and  entered  the 
house.  I  saw  at  once  that  he  was  some  distinguished 
personage,  the  natives  regarding  him  with  the  utmost 
deference,  and  making  room  for  him  as  he  approached. 
His  aspect  was  imposing.  The  splendid  long  drooping 
tail-feathers  of  the  tropical  bird,  thickly  interspersed 
with  the  gaudy  plumage  of  the  cock,  were  disposed  in 
an  immense  upright  semicircle  upon  his  head,  their 
lower  extremities  being  fixed  in  a  crescent  of  guinea- 
beads  which  spanned  the  forehead.  Around  his  neck 
were  several  enormous  necklaces  of  boars'  tusks,  pol 
ished  like  ivory,  and  disposed  in  such  a  manner  as  that 
the  longest  and  largest  were  upon  his  capacious  chest. 
Thrust  forward  through  the  large  apertures  in  his  ears 
were  two  small  and  finely  shaped  sperm-whale  teeth, 
presenting  their  cavities  in  front,  stuffed  with  freshly 
plucked  leaves,  and  curiously  wrought  at  the  other  end 
into  strange  little  images  and  devices.  These  barbaric 
trinkets,  garnished  in  this  manner  at  their  open  extrem 
ities,  and  tapering  and  curving  round  to  a  point  behind 
the  ear,  resembled  not  a  little  a  pair  of  cornucopias. 

The  loins  of  the  warrior  were  girt  about  with  heavy 
folds  of  a  dark-coloured  tappa,  hanging  before  and 
behind  in  clusters  of  braided  tassels,  while  anklets  and 


112  TTPEE 

bracelets  of  curling  human  hair  completed  his  unique 
costume.  In  his  right  hand  he  grasped  a  beautifully 
carved  paddle-spear,  nearly  fifteen  feet  in  length,  made 
of  the  bright  koar-wood,  one  end  sharply  pointed,  and 
the  other  flattened  like  an  oar-blade,  Hanging  ob 
liquely  from  his  girdle  by  a  loop  of  sinnate  was  a  richly 
decorated  pipe,  the  slender  reed  forming  its  stem  was 
coloured  with  a  red  pigment,  and  round  it,  as  well  as  the 
idol-bowl,  fluttered  little  streamers  of  the  thinnest 
tappa. 

But  that  which  was  most  remarkable  in  the  appear 
ance  of  the  splendid  islander  was  the  elaborated  tatoo- 
ing  displayed  on  every  noble  limb.  All  imaginable 
lines  and  curves  and  figures  were  delineated  over  his 
whole  body,  and  in  their  grotesque  variety  and  infinite 
profusion  I  could  only  compare  them  to  the  crowded 
groupings  of  quaint  patterns  we  sometimes  see  in  costly 
pieces  of  lace-work.  The  most  simple  and  remarkable 
of  all  these  ornaments  was  that  which  decorated  the 
countenance  of  the  chief.  Two  broad  stripes  of  tattoo 
ing,  diverging  from  the  centre  of  his  shaven  crown,  ob 
liquely  crossed  both  eyes  —  staining  the  lids  —  to  a  little 
below  either  ear,  where  they  united  with  another 
stripe  which  swept  in  a  straight  line  along  the  lips  and 
formed  the  base  of  the  triangle.  The  warrior,  from  the 
excellence  of  his  physical  proportions,  might  certainly 
have  been  regarded  as  one  of  Nature's  noblemen,  and 
the  lines  drawn  upon  his  face  may  possibly  have  de 
noted  his  exalted  rank. 

This  warlike  personage,  upon  entering  the  house, 
seated  himself  at  some  distance  from  the  spot  where 
Toby  and  myself  reposed;  while  the  rest  of  the  savages 
looked  alternately  from  us  to  him,  as  if  in  expectation 


MEHEV1  113 

of  something  they  were  disappointed  in  not  perceiving. 
Regarding  the  chief  attentively,  I  thought  his  linea 
ments  appeared  familiar  to  me.  As  soon  as  his  full  face 
was  turned  upon  me,  and  I  again  beheld  its  extraordi 
nary  embellishment,  and  met  the  strange  gaze  to  which  I 
had  been  subjected  the  preceding  night,  I  immediately, 
in  spite  of  the  alteration  in  his  appearance,  recognised 
the  noble  Mehevi.  On  addressing  him,  he  advanced  at 
once  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  and,  greeting  me 
warmly,  seemed  to  enjoy  not  a  little  the  effect  his  bar 
baric  costume  had  produced  upon  me. 

I  forthwith  determined  to  secure,  if  possible,  the 
good  will  of  this  individual,  as  I  easily  perceived  he 
was  a  man  of  great  authority  in  his  tribe,  and  one  who 
might  exert  a  powerful  influence  upon  our  subsequent 
fate.  In  the  endeavour  I  was  not  repulsed ;  for  nothing 
could  surpass  the  friendliness  he  manifested  towards 
both  my  companion  and  myself.  He  extended  his 
sturdy  limbs  by  our  side,  and  endeavoured  to  make  us 
comprehend  the  full  extent  of  the  kindly  feelings  by 
which  he  was  actuated.  The  almost  insuperable  diffi 
culty  in  communicating  to  one  another  our  ideas  affected 
the  chief  with  no  little  mortification.  He  evinced  a 
great  desire  to  be  enlightened  with  regard  to  the  cus 
toms  and  peculiarities  of  the  far-off  country  we  had 
left  behind  us,  and  to  which  under  the  name  of  Maneeka 
he  frequently  alluded. 

But  that  which  more  than  any  other  subject  engaged 
his  attention  was  the  late  proceedings  of  the  "  France, " 
as  he  called  the  French,  in  the  neighboring  bay  of 
Nukuheva.  This  seemed  a  never-ending  theme  with 
him,  and  one  concerning  which  he  was  never  weary  of 
interrogating  us.  All  the  information  we  succeeded 


114  TTPEE 

in  imparting  to  him  on  this  subject  was  little  more  than 
that  we  had  seen  six  men-of-war  lying  in  the  hostile 
bay  at  the  time  we  had  left  it.  When  he  received  this 
intelligence,  Mehevi,  by  the  aid  of  his  fingers,  went 
through  a  long  numerical  calculation,  as  if  estimating 
the  number  of  Frenchmen  the  squadron  might  contain. 

It  was  just  after  employing  his  faculties  in  this  way 
that  he  happened  to  notice  the  swelling  in  my  limb. 
He  immediately  examined  it  with  the  utmost  attention, 
and  after  doing  so  despatched  a  boy  who  happened  to 
be  standing  by  with  some  message. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  moments  the  stripling  re- 
entered  the  house  with  an  aged  islander,  who  might 
have  been  taken  for  old  Hippocrates  himself.  His  head 
was  as  bald  as  the  polished  surface  of  a  cocoa-nut  shell, 
which  article  it  precisely  resembled  in  smoothness  and 
colour,  while  a  long  silvery  beard  swept  almost  to  his 
girdle  of  bark.  Encircling  his  temples  was  a  bandeau 
of  the  twisted  leaves  of  the  Omoo-tree,  pressed  closely 
over  the  brows  to  shield  his  feeble  vision  from  the  glare 
of  the  sun.  His  tottering  steps  were  supported  by  a 
long  slim  staff,  resembling  the  wand  with  which  a  theat 
rical  magician  appears  on  the  stage,  and  in  one  hand 
he  carried  a  freshly  plaited  fan  of  the  green  leaflets 
of  the  cocoa-nut  tree.  A  flowing  robe  of  tappa,  knotted 
over  the  shoulder,  hung  loosely  round  his  stooping 
form,  and  heightened  the  venerableness  of  his  aspect. 

Mehevi,  saluting  this  old  gentleman,  motioned  him  to 
a  seat  between  us,  and  then  uncovering  my  limb,  desired 
him  to  examine  it.  The  leech  gazed  intently  from  me 
to  Toby,  and  then  proceeded  to  business.  After  dilir 
gently  observing  the  ailing  member,  he  commenced 
manipulating  it;  and  on  the  supposition  probably  that 


A  MODERN  ^SCULAPIUS  115 

the  complaint  had  deprived  the  leg  of  all  sensation, 
began  to  pinch  and  hammer  it  in  such  a  manner  that  I 
absolutely  roared  with  the  pain.  Thinking  that  I  was 
as  capable  of  making  an  application  of  thumps  and 
pinches  to  the  part  as  any  one  else,  I  endeavoured  to 
resist  this  species  of  medical  treatment.  But  it  was 
not  so  easy  a  matter  to  get  out  of  the  clutches  of  the 
old  wizard ;  he  fastened  on  the  unfortunate  limb  as  if 
it  were  something  for  which  he  had  been  long  seeking, 
and  muttering  some  kind  of  incantation  continued  his 
discipline,  pounding  it  after  a  fashion  that  set  me  well 
nigh  crazy;  while  Mehevi,  upon  the  same  principle 
which  prompts  an  affectionate  mother  to  hold  a  strug' 
gling  child  in  a  dentist's  chair,  restrained  me  in  his 
powerful  grasp,  and  actually  encouraged  the  wretch  in 
his  infliction  of  torture. 

Almost  frantic  with  rage  and  pain,  I  yelled  like  a 
bedlamite ;  while  Toby,  throwing  himself  into  all  the 
attitudes  of  a  posture-master,  vainly  endeavoured  to  ex 
postulate  with  the  natives  by  signs  and  gestures.  To 
have  looked  at  my  companion,  as,  sympathizing  with  my 
sufferings,  he  strove  to  put  an  end  to  them,  one  would 
have  thought  that  he  was  the  deaf  and  dumb  alphabet 
incarnated.  Whether  my  tormentor  yielded  to  Toby's 
entreaties,  or  paused  from  sheer  exhaustion,  I  do  not 
know ;  but  all  at  once  he  ceased  his  operations,  and  at 
the  same  time,  the  chief  relinquishing  his  hold  upon  me, 
I  fell  back,  faint  and  breathless,  with  the  agony  I  had 
endured. 

My  unfortunate  limb  was  now  left  much  in  the  same 
condition  as  a  rump-steak  after  undergoing  the  castigat 
ing  process  which  precedes  cooking.  My  physician, 
having  recovered  from  the  fatigues  of  his  exertions,  as 


116  TTPEE 

if  anxious  to  make  amends  for  the  pain  to  which  he  had 
subjected  me,  now  took  some  herbs  out  of  a  little 
wallet  that  was  suspended  from  his  waist,  and  moisten 
ing  them  in  water,  applied  them  to  the  inflamed  part, 
stooping  over  it  at  the  same  time,  and  either  whis 
pering  a  spell,  or  having  a  little  confidential  chat  with 
some  imaginary  demon  located  in  the  calf  of  my  leg. 
My  limb  was  now  swathed  in  leafy  bandages,  and,  grate 
ful  to  Providence  for  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  I  was 
suffered  to  rest. 

Mehevi  shortly  after  rose  to  depart;  but  before  he 
went  he  spoke  authoritatively  to  one  of  the  natives 
whom  he  addressed  as  Kory-Kory ;  and  from  the  little  I 
could  understand  of  what  took  place,  pointed  him  out 
to  me  as  a  man  whose  peculiar  business  thenceforth 
would  be  to  attend  upon  my  person.  I  am  not  certain 
that  I  comprehended  as  much  as  this  at  the  time,  but 
the  subsequent  conduct  of  my  trusty  body-servant  fully 
assured  me  that  such  must  have  been  the  case. 

I  could  not  but  be  amused  at  the  manner  in  which  the 
chief  addressed  me  upon  this  occasion,  talking  to  me 
for  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  as  calmly  as  if  I 
could  understand  every  word  that  he  said.  I  remarked 
this  peculiarity  very  often  afterwards  in  many  other  of 
the  islanders. 

Mehevi  having  now  departed,  and  the  family  physi 
cian  having  likewise  made  his  exit,  we  were  left  about 
sunset  with  the  ten  or  twelve  natives,  who  by  this  time 
I  had  ascertained  composed  the  household  of  which 
Toby  and  I  were  members.  As  the  dwelling  to  which 
we  had  been  first  introduced  was  the  place  of  my  perma 
nent  abode  while  I  remained  in  the  valley,  and  as  I  was 
necessarily  placed  upon  the  most  intimate  footing  with 


A  DWELLING-HOUSE  DESCRIBED  117 

its  occupants,  I  may  as  well  here  enter  into  a  little 
description  of  it  and  its  inhabitants.  This  description 
will  apply  also  to  nearly  all  the  other  dwelling-places 
in  the  vale,  and  will  furnish  some  idea  of  the  generality 
of  the  natives. 

Near  one  side  of  the  valley,  and  about  midway  up  the 
ascent  of  a  rather  abrupt  rise  of  ground  waving  with 
the  richest  verdure,  a  number  of  large  stones  were  laid  in 
successive  courses,  to  the  height  of  nearly  eight  feet,  and 
disposed  in  such  a  manner  that  their  level  surface  corre 
sponded  in  shape  with  the  habitation  which  was  perched 
upon  it.  A  narrow  space,  however,  was  reserved  in 
front  of  the  dwelling,  upon  the  summit  of  this  pile 
of  stones  (called  by  the  natives  a  "  pi-pi  ")>  which  being 
enclosed  by  a  little  pocket  of  canes,  gave  it  somewhat 
the  appearance  of  a  verandah.  The  frame  of  the  house 
was  constructed  of  large  bamboos  planted  uprightly,  and 
secured  together  at  intervals  by  transverse  stalks  of  the 
light  wood  of  the  hibiscus,  lashed  with  thongs  of  bark. 
The  rear  of  the  tenement  —  built  up  with  successive 
ranges  of  cocoa-nut  boughs  bound  one  upon  another, 
with  their  leaflets  cunningly  woven  together  —  inclined 
a  little  from  the  vertical,  and  extended  from  the  extreme 
edge  of  the  "  pi-pi "  to  about  twenty  feet  from  its  surface ; 
whence  the  shelving  roof  —  thatched  with  the  long  taper 
ing  leaves  of  the  palmetto  —  sloped  steeply  off  to  within 
about  five  feet  of  the  floor ;  leaving  the  eaves  drooping 
with  tassel-like  appendages  over  the  front  of  the  habita 
tion.  This  was  constructed  of  light  and  elegant  canes, 
in  a  kind  of  open  screen  work,  tastefully  adorned  with 
bindings  of  variegated  sinnate,  which  served  to  hold 
together  its  various  parts.  The  sides  of  the  house 
were  similarly  built ;  thus  presenting  three  quarters  for 


118  TTPEE 

the  circulation  of  the  air,  while  the  whole  was  impervious 
to  the  rain. 

In  length  this  picturesque  building  was  perhaps  twelve 
yards,  while  in  breadth  it  could  not  have  exceeded  as 
many  feet.  So  much  for  the  exterior ;  which  with  its 
wire-like  reed-twisted  sides,  not  a  little  reminded  me  of 
an  immense  aviary. 

Stooping  a  little,  you  passed  through  a  narrow  aper 
ture  in  its  front ;  and  facing  you,  on  entering,  lay  two 
long,  perfectly  straight,  and  well-polished  trunks  of  the 
cocoa-nut  tree,  extending  the  full  length  of  the  dwell 
ing  ;  one  of  them  placed  closely  against  the  rear,  and 
the  other  lying  parallel  with  it  some  two  yards  distant, 
the  interval  between  them  being  spread  with  a  multi 
tude  of  gayly  worked  mats,  nearly  all  of  a  different 
pattern.  This  space  formed  the  common  couch  and 
lounging  place  of  the  natives,  answering  the  purpose  of 
a  divan  in  Oriental  countries.  Here  would  they 
slumber  through  the  hours  of  the  night,  and  recline 
luxuriously  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  The 
remainder  of  the  floor  presented  only  the  cool  shining 
surfaces  of  the  large  stones  of  which  the  "  pi-pi "  was 
composed. 

From  the  ridge-pole  of  the  house  hung  suspended  a 
number  of  large  packages  enveloped  in  coarse  tappa; 
some  of  which  contained  festival  dresses,  and  various 
other  matters  of  the  wardrobe,  held  in  high  estimation. 
These  were  easily  accessible  by  means  of  a  line,  which, 
passing  over  the  ridge-pole,  had  one  end  attached  to  a 
bundle,  while  with  the  other,  which  led  to  the  side  of 
the  dwelling  and  was  there  secured,  the  package  could 
be  lowered  or  elevated  at  pleasure. 

Against  the  farther  wall  of  the  house  were  arranged 


PORTRAIT  OF  EORY-EORY  119 

in  tasteful  figures  a  variety  of  spears  and  javelins,  and 
other  implements  of  savage  warfare.  Outside  of  the 
habitation,  and  built  upon  the  piazza-like  area  in  its 
front,  was  a  little  shed  used  as  a  sort  of  larder  or  pantry, 
and  in  which  were  stored  various  articles  of  domestic 
use  and  convenience.  A  few  yards  from  the  pi-pi  was 
a  large  shed  built  of  cocoa-nut  boughs,  where  the  pro 
cess  of  preparing  the  "poee-poee"  was  carried  on  and 
all  culinary  operations  attended  to. 

Thus  much  for  the  house,  and  its  appurtenances ;  and 
it  will  be  readily  acknowledged  that  a  more  commodious 
and  appropriate  dwelling  for  the  climate  and  the  people 
could  not  possibly  be  devised.  It  was  cool,  free  to 
admit  the  air,  scrupulously  clean,  and  elevated  above 
the  dampness  and  impurities  of  the  ground. 

But  now  to  sketch  the  inmates  ;  and  here  I  claim  for 
my  tried  servitor  and  faithful  valet  Kory-Kory  the 
precedence  of  a  first  description.  As  his  character  will 
be  gradually  unfolded  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  I 
shall  for  the  present  content  myself  with  delineating  his 
personal  appearance.  Kory-Kory,  though  the  most 
devoted  and  best-natured  serving-man  in  the  world,  was, 
alas!  a  hideous  object  to  look  upon.  He  was  some 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  about  six  feet  in  height, 
robust  and  well  made,  and  of  the  most  extraordinary 
aspect.  His  head  was  carefully  shaven,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  two  circular  spots,  about  the  size  of  a  dollar, 
near  the  top  of  the  cranium,  where  the  hair,  permitted 
to  grow  of  an  amazing  length,  was  twisted  up  in  two 
prominent  knots,  that  gave  him  the  appearance  of  being 
decorated  with  a  pair  of  horns.  His  beard,  plucked  out 
by  the  roots  from  every  other  part  of  his  face,  was  suf 
fered  to  droop  in  hairy  pendants,  two  of  which  garnished 


120  TTPEE 

his  upper  lip,  and  an  equal  number  hung  from  the 
extremity  of  his  chin. 

Kory-Kory,  with  a  view  of  improving  the  handiwork 
of  nature,  and  perhaps  prompted  by  a  desire  to  add  to 
the  engaging  expression  of  his  countenance,  had  seen 
fit  to  embellish  his  face  with  three  broad  longitudinal 
stripes  of  tattooing,  which,  like  those  country  roads 
that  go  straight  forward  in  defiance  of  all  obstacles, 
crossed  his  nasal  organ,  descended  into  the  hollow  of  his 
eyes,  and  even  skirted  the  borders  of  his  mouth.  Each 
completely  spanned  his  physiognomy ;  one  extending  in 
a  line  with  his  eyes,  another  crossing  the  face  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  nose,  and  the  third  sweeping  along  his 
lips  from  ear  to  ear.  His  countenance  thus  triply 
hooped,  as  it  were,  with  tattooing,  always  reminded  me 
of  those  unhappy  wretches  whom  I  have  sometimes 
observed  gazing  out  sentimentally  from  behind  the 
grated  bars  of  a  prison  window ;  whilst  the  entire  body 
of  my  savage  valet,  covered  all  over  with  representa 
tions  of  birds  and  fishes,  and  a  variety  of  most  un 
accountable-looking  creatures,  suggested  to  me  the  idea 
of  a  pictorial  museum  of  natural  history,  or  an  illus 
trated  copy  of  "  Goldsmith's  Animated  Nature." 

But  it  seems  really  heartless  in  me  to  write  thus  of 
the  poor  islander,  whom  I  owe  perhaps  to  his  unremitting 
attentions  the  very  existence  I  now  enjoy.  Kory-Kory, 
I  mean  thee  no  harm  in  what  I  say  in  regard  to  thy  out 
ward  adornings ;  but  they  were  a  little  curious  to  my 
unaccustomed  sight,  and  therefore  I  dilate  upon  them. 
But  to  underrate  or  forget  thy  faithful  services  is  some 
thing  I  could  never  be  guilty  of,  even  in  the  giddiest 
moment  of  my  life. 

The  father  of  my  attached  follower  was  a  native  of 


NATIVES  DESCRIBED  121 

gigantic  frame,  and  had  once  possessed  prodigious  phys 
ical  powers  ;  but  the  lofty  form  was  now  yielding  to  the 
inroads  of  time,  though  the  hand  of  disease  seemed  never 
to  have  been  laid  upon  the  aged  warrior.  Marheyo  — 
for  such  was  his  name  —  appeared  to  have  retired  from 
all  active  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  valley,  sel 
dom  or  never  accompanying  the  natives  in  their  various 
expeditions ;  and  employing  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
in  throwing  up  a  little  shed  just  outside  the  house,  up 
on  which  he  was  engaged  to  my  certain  knowledge  for 
four  months,  without  appearing  to  make  any  sensible 
advance.  I  suppose  the  old  gentleman  was  in  his  dotage, 
for  he  manifested  in  various  ways  the  characteristics 
which  mark  this  particular  stage  of  life. 

I  remember  in  particular  his  having  a  choice  pair  of 
ear-ornaments,  fabricated  from  the  teeth  of  some  sea- 
monster.  These  he  would  alternately  wear  and  take  off 
at  least  fifty  times  in  the  course  of  the  day,  going  and 
coming  from  his  little  hut  on  each  occasion  with  all  the 
tranquillity  imaginable.  Sometimes  slipping  them 
through  the  slits  in  his  ears,  he  would  seize  his  spear  — 
which  in  length  and  slightness  resembled  a  fishing  pole 
—  and  go  stalking  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  neigh 
bouring  groves,  as  if  about  to  give  a  hostile  meeting  to 
some  cannibal  knight.  But  he  would  soon  return  again, 
and  hiding  his  weapon  under  the  projecting  eaves  of 
the  house  and  rolling  his  clumsy  trinkets  carefully  in  a 
piece  of  tappa,  would  resume  his  more  pacific  opera 
tions  as  quietly  as  if  he  had  never  interrupted  them. 

But  despite  his  eccentricities,  Marheyo  was  a  most 
paternal  and  warm-hearted  old  fellow,  and  in  this  par 
ticular  not  a  little  resembled  his  son  Kory-Kory.  The 
mother  of  the  latter  was  the  mistress  of  the  family,  and 


122  TTPEE 

a  notable  housewife,  and  a  most  industrious  old  lady 
she  was.  If  she  did  not  understand  the  art  of  making 
jellies,  jams,  custards,  tea-cakes,  and  such  like  trashy 
affairs,  she  was  profoundly  skilled  in  the  mysteries  of 
preparing  "amar,"  "poee-poee,"  and  "kokoo,"  with 
other  substantial  matters.  She  was  a  genuine  busy 
body;  bustling  about  the  house  like  a  country  landlady 
at  an  unexpected  arrival ;  forever  giving  the  young  girls 
tasks  to  perform,  which  the  little  huzzies  as  often  neg 
lected  ;  poking  into  every  corner,  and  rummaging  over 
bundles  of  old  tappa,  or  making  a  prodigious  clatter 
among  the  calabashes.  Sometimes  she  might  have  been 
seen  squatting  upon  her  haunches  in  front  of  a  huge 
wooden  basin,  and  kneading  poee-poee  with  terrific 
vehemence,  dashing  the  stone  pestle  about  as  if  she 
would  shiver  the  vessel  into  fragments ;  on  other  occa 
sions,  galloping  about  the  valley  in  search  of  a  particu 
lar  kind  of  leaf,  used  in  some  of  her  recondite  opera 
tions,  and  returning  home,  toiling  and  sweating,  with  a 
bundle  of  it,  under  which  most  women  would  have  sunk. 

To  tell  the  truth,  Kory-Kory's  mother  was  the  only 
industrious  person  in  all  the  valley  of  Typee ;  and  she 
could  not  have  employed  herself  more  actively  had  she 
been  left  an  exceedingly  muscular  and  destitute  widow 
with  an  inordinate  supply  of  young  children,  in  the 
bleakest  part  of  the  civilised  world.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  necessity  for  the  greater  portion  of  the 
labour  performed  by  the  old  lady;  but  she  seemed  to 
work  irom  some  irresistible  impulse ;  her  limbs  contin 
ually  swaying  to  and  fro,  as  if  there  were  some  inde 
fatigable  engine  concealed  within  her  body  which  kept 
her  in  perpetual  motion. 

Never  suppose  that  she  was  a  termagant  or  a  shrew 


THE  BE  A  UTIFUL  FA  YA  WAY  123 

for  all  this ;  she  had  the  kindliest  heart  in  the  world, 
and  acted  towards  me  in  particular  in  a  truly  maternal 
manner,  occasionally  putting  some  little  morsel  of 
choice  food  into  my  hand,  some  outlandish  kind  of 
savage  sweetmeat  or  pastry,  like  a  doting  mother 
petting  a  sickly  urchin  with  tarts  and  sugar-plums. 
Warm  indeed  are  my  remembrances  of  the  dear,  good, 
affectionate  old  Tinor! 

Besides  the  individuals  I  have  mentioned,  there 
belonged  to  the  household  three  young  men,  dissipated, 
good-for-nothing,  roystering  blades  of  savages,  who 
were  either  employed  in  prosecuting  love-affairs  with 
the  maidens  of  the  tribe,  or  grew  boozy  on  "arva"  and 
tobacco  in  the  company  of  congenial  spirits,  the  scape 
graces  of  the  valley. 

Among  the  permanent  inmates  of  the  house  were 
likewise  several  lovely  damsels,  who  instead  of  thrum 
ming  pianos  and  reading  novels,  like  more  enlightened 
young  ladies,  substituted  for  these  employments  the 
manufacture  of  a  fine  species  of  tappa;  but  for  the 
greater  portion  of  the  time  were  skipping  from  house  to 
house,  gadding  and  gossipping  with  their  acquaintances. 

From  the  rest  of  these,  however,  I  must  except  the 
beauteous  nymph  Fayaway,  who  was  my  peculiar 
favourite.  Her  free  pliant  figure  was  the  very  per 
fection  of  female  grace  and  beauty.  Her  complexion 
was  a  rich  and  mantling  olive,  and  when  watching  the 
glow  upon  her  cheeks  I  could  almost  swear  that  be 
neath  the  transparent  medium  there  lurked  the  blushes 
of  a  faint  vermilion.  The  face  of  this  girl  was  a  rounded 
oval,  and  each  feature  as  perfectly  formed  as  the  heart 
or  imagination  of  man  could  desire.  Her  full  lips, 
when  parted  with  a  smile,  disclosed  teeth  of  a  dazzling 


124  TTPEE 

whiteness;  and  when  her  rosy  mouth  Opened  with  a 
burst  of  merriment,  they  looked  like  the  milk-white 
seeds  of  the  "arta,"  a  fruit  of  the  valley,  which,  when 
cleft  in  twain,  shows  them  reposing  in  rows  on  either 
side,  imbedded  in  the  rich  and  juicy  pulp.  Her  hair 
of  the  deepest  brown,  parted  irregularly  in  the  middle, 
flowed  in  natural  ringlets  over  her  shoulders,  and  when 
ever  she  chanced  to  stoop,  fell  over  and  hid  from  view 
her  lovely  bosom.  Gazing  into  the  depths  of  her 
strange  blue  eyes,  when  she  was  in  a  contemplative 
mood,  they  seemed  most  placid  yet  unfathomable ;  but 
when  illuminated  by  some  lively  emotion,  they  beamed 
upon  the  beholder  like  stars.  The  hands  of  Fayaway 
were  as  soft  and  delicate  as  those  of  any  countess ;  for 
an  entire  exemption  from  rude  labour  marks  the  girl 
hood  and  even  prime  of  a  Typee  woman's  life.  Her 
feet,  though  wholly  exposed,  were  as  diminutive  and 
fairly  shaped  as  those  which  peep  from  beneath  the 
skirts  of  a  Lima  lady's  dress.  The  skin  of  this  young 
creature,  from  continual  ablutions  and  the  use  of  molli 
fying  ointments,  was  inconceivably  smooth  and  soft. 

I  may  succeed,  perhaps,  in  particularising  some  oi 
the  individual  features  of  Fayaway's  beauty,  but  that 
general  loveliness  of  appearance  which  they  all  con 
tributed  to  produce  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe. 
The  easy  unstudied  graces  of  a  child  of  nature  like 
this,  breathing  from  infancy  an  atmosphere  of  perpetual 
summer,  and  nurtured  by  the  simple  fruits  of  the  earth ; 
enjoying  a  perfect  freedom  from  care  and  anxiety,  and 
removed  effectually  from  all  injurious  tendencies,  strike 
the  eye  in  a  manner  which  cannot  be  portrayed.  This 
picture  is  no  fancy  sketch ;  it  is  drawn  from  the  most 
vivid  recollections  of  the  person  delineated. 


DEESS  OF  THE  NYMPH  126 

Were  I  asked  if  the  beauteous  form  of  Fayaway  was 
altogether  free  from  the  hideous  blemish  of  tattooing, 
I  should  be  constrained  to  answer  that  it  was  not.  But 
the  practitioners  of  the  barbarous  art,  so  remorseless  in 
their  inflictions  upon  the  brawny  limbs  of  the  warriors 
of  the  tribe,  seem  to  be  conscious  that  it  needs  not  the 
resources  of  their  profession  to  augment  the  charms  of 
the  maidens  of  the  vale. 

The  females  are  very  little  embellished  in  this  way, 
and  Fayaway,  with  all  the  other  young  girls  of  her  age, 
were  even  less  so  than  those  of  their  sex  more  advanced 
in  years.  The  reason  of  this  peculiarity  will  be  alluded 
to  hereafter.  All  the  tattooing  that  the  nymph  in 
question  exhibited  upon  her  person  may  be  easily  de 
scribed.  Three  minute  dots,  no  bigger  than  pinheads, 
decorated  either  lip,  and  at  a  little  distance  were  not  at 
all  discernible.  Just  upon  the  fall  of  the  shoulder  were 
drawn  two  parallel  lines  half  an  inch  apart,  and  per 
haps  three  inches  in  length,  the  interval  being  filled 
with  delicately  executed  figures.  These  narrow  bands 
of  tattooing,  thus  placed,  always  reminded  me  of  those 
stripes  of  gold  lace  worn  by  officers  in  undress,  and 
which  were  in  lieu  of  epaulettes  to  denote  their  rank. 

Thus  much  was  Fayaway  tattooed  —  the  audacious 
hand  which  had  gone  so  far  in  its  desecrating  work  stop 
ping  short,  apparently  wanting  the  heart  to  proceed. 

But  I  have  omitted  to  describe  the  dress  worn  by  this 
nymph  of  the  valley. 

Fayaway  —  I  must  avow  the  fact — for  the  most  part 
clung  to  the  primitive  and  summer  garb  of  Eden.  But 
how  becoming  the  costume  !  It  showed  her  fine  figure 
to  the  best  possible  advantage  ;  and  nothing  could  have 
been  better  adapted  to  her  peculiar  style  of  beauty.  On 


126  TYPEE 

ordinary  occasions  she  was  habited  precisely  as  I  have 
described  the  two  youthful  savages  whom  we  had  met 
on  first  entering  the  valley.  At  other  times,  when 
rambling  among  the  groves,  or  visiting  at  the  houses  of 
her  acquaintances,  she  wore  a  tunic  of  white  tappa, 
reaching  from  her  waist  to  a  little  below  the  knees ;  and 
when  exposed  for  any  length  of  time  to  the  sun,  she  in 
variably  protected  herself  from  its  rays  by  a  floating 
mantle  of  the  same  material,  loosely  gathered  about  the 
person.  Her  gala  dress  will  be  described  hereafter. 

As  the  beauties  of  our  own  land  delight  in  bedecking 
themselves  with  fanciful  articles  of  jewellery,  suspend 
ing  them  from  their  ears,  hanging  them  about  their 
necks,  and  clasping  them  around  their  wrists ;  so  Fay- 
away  and  her  companions  were  in  the  habit  of  ornament 
ing  themselves  with  similar  appendages. 

Flora  was  their  jeweller.  Sometimes  they  wore  neck 
laces  of  small  carnation  flowers,  strung  like  rubies  upon 
a  fibre  of  tappa,  or  displayed  in  their  ears  a  single  white 
bud,  the  stem  thrust  backward  through  the  aperture, 
and  showing  in  front  the  delicate  petals  folded  together 
in  a  beautiful  sphere,  and  looking  like  a  drop  of  the 
purest  pearl.  Chaplets  too,  resembling  in  their  arrange 
ment  the  strawberry  coronal  worn  by  an  English  peer 
ess,  and  composed  of  intertwined  leaves  and  blossoms, 
often  crowned  their  temples  ;  and  bracelets  and  anklets 
of  the  same  tasteful  pattern  were  frequently  to  be 
seen.  Indeed,  the  maidens  of  the  islands  were  passion 
ately  fond  of  flowers,  and  never  wearied  of  decorating 
their  persons  with  them  ;  a  lovely  trait  in  their  charac 
ter,  and  one  that  ere  long  will  be  more  fully  alluded 
to. 

Though  in  my  eyes,  at  least,  Fayaway  was  indisputa- 


BEAUTIFUL  CREATURES  127 

bly  the  loveliest  female  I  saw  in  Typee,  yet  the  descrip 
tion  I  have  given  of  her  will  in  some  measure  applj 
to  nearly  all  the  youthful  portion  of  her  sex  in  the  val 
ley.  Judge  ye  then,  reader,  what  beautiful  creatures 
they  must  have  been*. 


128  TYFEE 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Officiousness  of  Kory-Kory  —  His  Devotion  —  A  Bath  in  the  Stream 

—  Want  of  Refinement  of  the  Typee  Damsels  —  Stroll  with  Mehevi 

—  ATypee  Highway  — The  Taboo  Groves  —  The  Hoolah  Hoolah 
Ground  —  The  Ti  —  Time-worn  Savages  —  Hospitality  of  Mehevi 

—  Midnight  Misgivings  —  Adventure  in  the  Dark  —  Distinguished 
Honours  paid  to  the  Visitors  —  Strange  Procession  and  Return  to 
the  House  of  Marheyo. 

WHEN  Mehevi  had  departed  from  the  house,  as  related 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  Kory-Kory  commenced  the 
functions  of  the  post  assigned  him.  He  brought  us  vari 
ous  kinds  of  food  ;  and,  as  if  I  were  an  infant,  insisted 
upon  feeding  me  with  his  own  hands.  To  this  procedure 
I,  of  course,  most  earnestly  objected,  but  in  vain ;  and 
having  laid  a  calabash  of  kokoo  before  me,  he  washed 
his  fingers  in  a  vessel  of  water,  and  then  putting  his 
hand  into  the  dish  and  rolling  the  food  into  little  balls, 
put  them  one  after  another  into  my  mouth.  All  my 
remonstrances  against  this  measure  only  provoked  so 
great  a  clamour  on  his  part,  that  I  was  obliged  to 
acquiesce  ;  and  the  operation  of  feeding  being  thus 
facilitated,  the  meal  was  quickly  despatched.  As  for 
Toby,  he  was  allowed  to  help  himself  after  his  own 
fashion. 

The  repast  over,  my  attendant  arranged  the  mats  for 
repose,  and,  bidding  me  lie  down,  covered  me  with  a 
large  robe  of  tappa,  at  the  same  time  looking  approv 
ingly  upon  me,  and  exclaiming,  " Ki-ki,  muee  muee,  ah! 
moee  moee  motarkee"  (eat  plenty,  ah!  sleep  very 


OUR  MORNING  ABLUTIONS  129 

good).  The  philosophy  of  this  sentiment  I  did  not 
pretend  to  question ;  for  deprived  of  sleep  for  several 
preceding  nights,  and  the  pain  in  my  limb  having  much 
abated,  I  now  felt  inclined  to  avail  myself  of  the  oppor 
tunity  afforded  me. 

The  next  morning,  on  waking,  I  found  Kory-Kory 
stretched  out  on  one  side  of  me,  while  my  companion 
lay  upon  the  other.  I  felt  sensibly  refreshed  after  a 
night  of  sound  repose,  and  immediately  agreed  to  the 
proposition  of  my  valet  that  I  should  repair  to  the 
water  and  wash,  although  dreading  the  suffering  that 
the  exertion  might  produce.  From  this  apprehension, 
however,  I  was  quickly  relieved ;  for  Kory-Kory,  leap 
ing  from  the  pi-pi,  and  then  backing  himself  up  against 
it,  like  a  porter  in  readiness  to  shoulder  a  trunk,  with 
loud  vociferations  and  a  superabundance  of  gestures, 
gave  me  to  understand  that  I  was  to  mount  upon  his 
back  and  be  thus  transported  to  the  stream,  which 
flowed  perhaps  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house. 

Our  appearance  upon  the  verandah  in  front  of  the 
habitation  drew  together  quite  a  crowd,  who  stood 
looking  on  and  conversing  with  one  another  in  the  most 
animated  manner.  They  reminded  one  of  a  group  of 
idlers  gathered  about  the  door  of  a  village  tavern  when 
the  equipage  of  some  distinguished  traveller  is  brought 
round  previous  to  his  departure.  As  soon  as  I  clasped 
my  arms  about  the  neck  of  the  devoted  fellow,  and 
he  jogged  off  with  me,  the  crowd — composed  chiefly 
of  young  girls  and  boys  —  followed  after,  shouting  and 
capering  with  infinite  glee,  and  accompanied  us  to  the 
banks  of  the  stream. 

On  gaining  it,  Kory-kory,  wading  up  to  his  hips  in 
the  water,  carried  me  half  way  across,  and  deposited 


130  TTPEE 

me  on  a  smooth  black  stone  which  rose  a  few  inches 
above  the  surface.  The  amphibious  rabble  at  our  heels 
plunged  in  after  us,  and,  climbing  to  the  summit  of  the 
grass-grown  rocks  with  which  the  bed  of  the  brook  was 
here  and  there  broken,  waited  curiously  to  witness  our 
morning  ablutions. 

Somewhat  embarrassed  by  the  presence  of  the  female 
portion  of  the  company,  and  feeling  my  cheeks  burning 
with  bashful  timidity,  I  formed  a  primitive  basin  by 
joining  my  hands  together,  and  cooled  my  blushes  in 
the  water  it  contained ;  then  removing  my  frock,  bent 
over  and  washed  myself  down  to  my  waist  in  the  stream. 
As  soon  as  Kory-Kory  comprehended  from  my  motions 
that  this  was  to  be  the  extent  of  my  performance,  he 
appeared  perfectly  aghast  with  astonishment,  and  rush 
ing  towards  me,  poured  out  a  torrent  of  words  in  eager 
deprecation  of  so  limited  an  operation,  enjoining  me  by 
unmistakable  signs  to  immerse  my  whole  body.  To 
this  I  was  forced  to  consent;  and  the  honest  fellow 
regarding  me  as  a  froward,  inexperienced  child,  whom 
it  was  his  duty  to  serve  at  the  risk  of  offending,  lifted 
me  from  the  rock,  and  tenderly  bathed  my  limbs.  This 
over,  and  resuming  my  seat,  I  could  not  avoid  bursting 
into  admiration  of  the  scene  around  me. 

From  the  verdant  surfaces  of  the  large  stones  that 
lay  scattered  about,  the  natives  were  now  sliding  off 
into  the  water,  diving  and  ducking  beneath  the  surface 
in  all  directions  —  the  young  girls  springing  buoyantly 
into  the  air,  and  revealing  their  naked  forms  to  the 
waist,  with  their  long  tresses  dancing  about  their  shoul 
ders,  their  eyes  sparkling  like  drops  of  dew  in  the  sun, 
and  their  gay  laughter  pealing  forth  at  every  frolicsome 
incident. 


OUR  JOURNEY  THROUGH   THE  VALLEY       131 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  that  I  took  my  first  bath 
in  the  valley,  we  received  another  visit  from  Mehevi. 
The  noble  savage  seemed  to  be  in  the  same  pleasant 
mood,  and  was  quite  as  cordial  in  his  manner  as  before. 
After  remaining  about  an  hour,  he  rose  from  the  mats, 
and  motioning  to  leave  the  house,  invited  Toby  and 
myself  to  accompany  him.  I  pointed  to  my  leg;  but 
Mehevi  in  his  turn  pointed  to  Kory-Kory,  and  removed 
that  objection ;  so,  mounting  upon  the  faithful  fellow's 
shoulders  again  —  like  the  old  man  of  the  sea  astride 
of  Sindbad  —  I  followed  after  the  chief. 

The  nature  of  the  route  we  now  pursued  struck  me 
more  forcibly  than  anything  I  had  yet  seen,  as  illustrat 
ing  the  indolent  disposition  of  the  islanders.  The  path 
was  obviously  the  most  beaten  one  in  the  valley,  several 
others  leading  from  either  side  into  it,  and  perhaps 
for  successive  generations  it  had  formed  the  principal 
avenue  of  the  place.  And  yet,  until  I  grew  more 
familiar  with  its  impediments,  it  seemed  as  difficult  to 
travel  as  the  recesses  of  a  wilderness.  Part  of  it  swept 
round  an  abrupt  rise  of  ground,  the  surface  of  which 
was  broken  by  frequent  inequalities,  and  thickly  strewn 
with  projecting  masses  of  rocks,  whose  summits  were 
often  hidden  from  view  by  the  drooping  foliage  of  the 
luxuriant  vegetation.  Sometimes  directly  over,  some 
times  evading  these  obstacles  with  a  wide  circuit,  the 
path  wound  along ;  —  one  moment  climbing  over  a 
sudden  eminence  smooth  with  continued  wear,  then 
descending  on  the  other  side  into  a  steep  glen,  and 
crossing  the  flinty  channel  of  a  brook.  Here  it  pursued 
the  depths  of  a  glade,  occasionally  obliging  you  to 
stoop  beneath  vast  horizontal  branches ;  and  now  you 
stepped  over  huge  trunks  and  boughs  that  lay  rotting 
across  the  track. 


132  TYPES 

Such  was  the  grand  thoroughfare  of  Typee.  After 
proceeding  a  little  distance  along  it  —  Kory-Kory  pant 
ing  and  blowing  with  the  weight  of  his  burden  —  I  dis 
mounted  from  his  back,  and  grasping  the  long  spear  of 
Mehevi  in  my  hand,  assisted  my  steps  over  the  numer 
ous  obstacles  of  the  road;  preferring  this  mode  of 
advance  to  one  which,  from  the  difficulties  of  the  way, 
was  equally  painful  to  myself  and  my  wearied  servitor. 

Our  journey  was  soon  at  an  end  :  for,  scaling  a  sud 
den  height,  we  came  abruptly  upon  the  place  of  our 
destination.  I  wish  that  it  were  possible  to  sketch  in 
words  this  spot  as  vividly  as  I  recollect  it. 

Here  were  situated  the  Taboo  groves  of  the  valley — 
the  scene  of  many  a  prolonged  feast,  of  many  a  horrid 
rite.  Beneath  the  dark  shadows  of  the  consecrated 
bread-fruit  trees  there  reigned  a  solemn  twilight  —  a 
cathedral-like  gloom.  The  frightful  genius  of  pagan 
worship  seemed  to  brood  in  silence  over  the  place, 
breathing  its  spell  upon  every  object  around.  Here 
and  there,  in  the  depths  of  these  awful  shades,  half 
screened  from  sight  by  masses  of  overhanging  foliage, 
rose  the  idolatrous  altars  of  the  savages,  built  of  enor 
mous  blocks  of  black  and  polished  stone,  placed  one 
upon  another,  without  cement,  to  the  height  of  twelve 
or  fifteen  feet,  and  surmounted  by  a  rustic  open  temple, 
enclosed  with  a  low  picket  of  canes,  within  which  might 
be  seen,  in  various  stages  of  decay,  offerings  of  bread 
fruit  and  cocoa-nuts,  and  the  putrefying  relics  of  some 
recent  sacrifice. 

In  the  midst  of  the  wood  was  the  hallowed  "  hoolah 
hoolah"  ground — set  apart  for  the  celebration  of  the 
fantastic  religious  ritual  of  these  people  —  comprising 
an  extensive  oblong  pi-pi,  terminating  at  either  end  in  a 


THE  TABOO  GROVES  133 

lofty  terraced  altar,  guarded  by  ranks  of  hideous  wooden 
idols,  and  with  the  two  remaining  sides  flanked  by 
ranges  of  bamboo  sheds,  opening  towards  the  interior 
of  the  quadrangle  thus  formed.  Vast  trees,  standing 
in  the  middle  of  this  space,  and  throwing  over  it  an 
umbrageous  shade,  had  their  massive  trunks  built  round 
with  slight  stages,  elevated  a  few  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  railed  in  with  canes,  forming  so  many  rustic  pulpits, 
from  which  the  priests  harangued  their  devotees. 

This  holiest  of  spots  was  defended  from  profanation 
by  the  strictest  edicts  of  the  all-pervading  "taboo," 
which  condemned  to  instant  death  the  sacrilegious  fe 
male  who  should  enter  or  touch  its  sacred  precincts,  or 
even  so  much  as  press  with  her  feet  the  ground  made 
holy  by  the  shadows  that  it  cast. 

Access  was  had  to  the  enclosure  through  an  embow 
ered  entrance  on  one  side,  facing  a  number  of  towering 
cocoa-nut  trees,  planted  at  intervals  along  a  level  area 
of  a  hundred  yards.  At  the  further  extremity  of  this 
space  was  to  be  seen  a  building  of  considerable  size, 
reserved  for  the  habitation  of  the  priests  and  religious 
attendants  of  the  groves. 

In  its  vicinity  was  another  remarkable  edifice,  built 
as  usual  upon  the  summit  of  a  pi-pi,  and  at  least  two 
hundred  feet  in  length,  though  not  more  than  twenty 
in  breadth.  The  whole  front  of  this  latter  structure 
was  completely  open,  and  from  one  end  to  the  other  ran 
a  narrow  verandah,  fenced  in  on  the  edge  of  the  pi-pi 
with  a  picket  of  canes.  Its  interior  presented  the  ap 
pearance  of  an  immense  lounging-place,  the  entire  floor 
being  strewn  with  successive  layers  of  mats,  lying  be 
tween  parallel  trunks  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  selected  for 
the  purpose  from  the  straightest  and  most  symmetrical 
the  vale  afforded. 


134  TYPES 

To  this  building,  denominated  in  the  language  of  the 
natives  the  "  Ti,"  Mehevi  now  conducted  us.  Thus  far 
we  had  been  accompanied  by  a  troop  of  the  natives  of 
both  sexes ;  but  as  soon  as  we  approached  its  vicinity, 
the  females  gradually  separated  themselves  from  the 
crowd,  and  standing  aloof,  permitted  us  to  pass  on.  The 
merciless  prohibitions  of  the  taboo  extended  likewise 
to  this  edifice,  and  were  enforced  by  the  same  dreadful 
penalty  that  secured  the  Hoolah  Hoolah  ground  from  the 
imaginary  pollution  of  a  woman's  presence. 

On  entering  the  house,  I  was  surprised  to  see  six  mus 
kets  ranged  against  the  bamboo  on  one  side,  from  the 
barrels  of  which  depended  as  many  small  canvas  pouches, 
partly  filled  with  powder.  Disposed  about  these  mus 
kets,  like  the  cutlasses  that  decorate  the  bulkhead  of  a 
man-of-war's  cabin,  were  a  great  variety  of  rude  spears 
and  paddles,  javelins,  and  war-clubs.  This  then,  said  I 
to  Toby,  must  be  the  armory  of  the  tribe. 

As  we  advanced  further  along  the  building,  we  were 
struck  with  the  aspect  of  four  or  five  hideous  old  wretches, 
on  whose  decrepit  forms  time  and  tattooing  seemed  to 
have  obliterated  every  trace  of  humanity.  Owing  to  the 
continued  operation  of  this  latter  process,  which  only 
terminates  among  the  warriors  of  the  island  after  all  the 
figures  sketched  upon  their  limbs  in  youth  have  been 
blended  together  —  an  effect,  however,  produced  only  in 
cases  of  extreme  longevity  —  the  bodies  of  these  men 
were  of  a  uniform  dull  green  colour  —  the  hue  which 
the  tattooing  gradually  assumes  as  the  individual  ad 
vances  in  age.  Their  skin  had  a  frightful  scaly  appear 
ance,  which,  united  with  its  singular  colour,  made  their 
limbs  not  a  little  resemble  dusty  specimens  of  verde- 
antique.  Their  flesh,  in  parts,  hung  upon  them  in  huge 


THE  EEPAST  135 

folds,  like  the  overlapping  plaits  on  the  flank  of  a  rhino 
ceros.  Their  heads  were  completely  bald,  whilst  their 
faces  were  puckered  into  a  thousand  wrinkles,  and  they 
presented  no  vestige  of  a  beard.  But  the  most  remark 
able  peculiarity  about  them  was  the  appearance  of  their 
feet ;  the  toes,  like  the  radiating  lines  of  the  mariner's 
compass,  pointed  to  every  quarter  of  the  horizon.  This 
was  doubtless  attributable  to  the  fact,  that  during  nearly 
a  hundred  years  of  existence  the  said  toes  never  had 
been  subjected  to  any  artificial  confinement,  and  in  their 
old  age,  being  averse  to  close  neighbourhood,  bid  one 
another  keep  open  order. 

These  repulsive-looking  creatures  appeared  to  have 
lost  the  use  of  their  lower  limbs  altogether ;  sitting  upon 
the  floor  cross-legged  in  a  state  of  torpor.  They  never 
heeded  us  in  the  least,  scarcely  looking  conscious  of  our 
presence,  while  Mehevi  seated  us  upon  the  mats,  and 
Kory-Kory  gave  utterance  to  some  unintelligible  gib 
berish. 

In  a  few  moments  a  boy  entered  with  a  wooden  tren 
cher  of  poee-poee  ;  and  in  regaling  myself  with  its  con 
tents  I  was  obliged  again  to  submit  to  the  officious  inter 
vention  of  my  indefatigable  servitor.  Various  other 
dishes  followed,  the  chief  manifesting  the  most  hospita 
ble  importunity  in  pressing  us  to  partake,  and  to  remove 
all  bashf  ulness  on  our  part,  set  us  no  despicable  example 
in  his  own  person. 

The  repast  concluded,  a  pipe  was  lighted,  which  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  yielding  to  its  soporific  in 
fluence,  the  quiet  of  the  place,  and  the  deepening  shad 
ows  of  approaching  night,  my  companion  and  I  sank  into 
a  kind  of  drowsy  repose,  while  the  chief  and  Kory-Kory 
seemed  to  be  slumbering  beside  us. 


136  TYPES 

I  awoke  from  an  uneasy  nap,  about  midnight,  as  I  sup 
posed;  and,  raising  myself  partly  from  the  mat,  became 
sensible  that  we  were  enveloped  in  utter  darkness.  Toby 
lay  still  asleep,  but  our  late  companions  had  disappeared. 
The  only  sound  that  interrupted  the  silence  of  the  place 
was  the  asthmatic  breathing  of  the  old  men  I  have  men 
tioned,  who  reposed  at  a  little  distance  from  us.  Besides 
them,  as  well  as  I  could  judge,  there  was  no  one  else  in 
the  house. 

Apprehensive  of  some  evil,  I  roused  my  comrade,  and 
we  were  engaged  in  a  whispered  conference  concerning 
the  unexpected  withdrawal  of  the  natives,  when  all  at 
once,  from  the  depths  of  the  grove,  in  full  view  of  us 
where  we  lay,  shoots  of  flame  were  seen  to  rise,  and  in  a 
few  moments  illuminated  the  surrounding  trees,  cast 
ing,  by  contrast,  into  still  deeper  gloom  the  darkness 
around  us. 

While  we  continued  gazing  at  this  sight,  dark  figures 
appeared  moving  to  and  fro  before  the  flames ;  while 
others,  dancing  and  capering  about,  looked  like  so  many 
demons. 

Regarding  this  new  phenomenon  with  no  small  degree 
of  trepidation,  I  said  to  my  companion,  "  What  can  all 
this  mean,  Toby  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  replied  he  ;  "  getting  the  fire  ready,  I 
suppose." 

"  Fire  ! "  exclaimed  I,  while  my  heart  took  to  beating 
like  a  trip-hammer,  "what  fire?" 

"  Why,  the  fire  to  cook  us,  to  be  sure ;  what  else  would 
the  cannibals  be  kicking  up  such  a  row  about  if  it  were 
not  for  that?" 

"  Oh,  Toby !  have  done  with  your  jokes ;  this  is  no 
time  for  them;  something  is  about  to  happen,  I  feel 
Confident." 


MY  FEARS  DISSIPATED  137 

"  Jokes,  indeed !  "  exclaimed  Toby,  indignantly. 
"  Did  you  ever  hear  me  joke  ?  Why,  for  what  do 
you  suppose  the  devils  have  been  feeding  us  up  in 
this  kind  of  style  during  the  last  three  days,  unless  it 
were  for  something  that  you  are  too  much  frightened  at 
to  talk  about  ?  Look  at  that  Kory-Kory  there  !  —  has 
he  not  been  stuffing  you  with  his  confounded  mushes, 
just  in  the  way  they  treat  swine  before  they  kill  them  ? 
Depend  upon  it,  we  will  be  eaten  this  blessed  night,  and 
there  is  the  fire  we  shall  be  roasted  by." 

This  view  of  the  matter  was  not  at  all  calculated  to 
allay  my  apprehensions,  and  I  shuddered  when  I  reflected 
that  we  were  indeed  at  the  mercy  of  a  tribe  of  cannibals, 
and  that  the  dreadful  contingency  to  which  Toby  had 
alluded  was  by  no  means  removed  beyond  the  bounds 
of  possibility. 

"  There  !  I  told  you  so !  they  are  coming  for  us !  "  ex 
claimed  my  companion  the  next  moment,  as  the  forms 
of  four  of  the  islanders  were  seen  in  bold  relief  against 
the  illuminated  background,  mounting  the  pi-pi  and 
approaching  towards  us. 

They  came  on  noiselessly,  nay  stealthily,  and  glided 
along  through  the  gloom  that  surrounded  us  as  if  about 
to  spring  upon  some  object  they  were  fearful  of  dis 
turbing  before  they  should  make  sure  of  it.  —  Gracious 
heaven !  the  horrible  reflections  which  crowded  upon  me 
that  moment.  A  cold  sweat  stood  upon  my  brow,  and 
spellbound  with  terror  I  awaited  my  fate ! 

Suddenly  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  well-remem 
bered  tones  of  Mehevi,  and  at  the  kindly  accents  of  his 
voice  my  fears  were  immediately  dissipated.  "  Tommo, 
Toby,  ki  ki !  "  (eat).  —  He  had  waited  to  address  us  until 
he  had  assured  himself  that  we  were  both  awake,  at 
which  he  seemed  somewhat  surprised. 


138  TYPEE 

"  Ki  ki !  is  it  ?  "  said  Toby  in  his  gruff  tones ;  "  well, 
cook  us  first,  will  you?  —  but  what's  this?"  he  added, 
as  another  savage  appeared,  bearing  before  him  a  large 
trencher  of  wood,  containing  some  kind  of  steaming 
meat  as  appeared  from  the  odours  it  diffused,  and  which 
he  deposited  at  the  feet  of  Mehevi.  "  A  baked  baby,  I 
dare  say !  but  I  will  have  none  of  it,  never  mind  what  it 
is.  —  A  pretty  fool  I  should  make  of  myself,  indeed, 
waked  up  here  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  stuffing  and 
guzzling,  and  all  to  make  a  fat  meal  for  a  parcel  of 
bloody-minded  cannibals  one  of  these  mornings !  —  No, 
I  see  what  they  are  at  very  plainly,  so  I  am  resolved  to 
starve  myself  into  a  bunch  of  bones  and  gristle,  and 
then,  if  they  serve  me  up,  they  are  welcome !  But  I  say, 
Tommo,  you  are  not  going  to  eat  any  of  that  mess  there, 
in  the  dark,  are  you?  Why,  how  can  you  tell  what 
it  is?" 

"  By  tasting  it,  to  be  sure,"  said  I,  masticating  a  mor 
sel  that  Kory-Kory  had  just  put  in  my  mouth ;  "  and 
excellently  good  it  is  too,  very  much  like  veal." 

"  A  baked  baby,  by  the  soul  of  Captain  Cook ! "  burst 
forth  Toby,  with  amazing  vehemence.  "  Veal !  why 
there  never  was  a  calf  on  the  island  till  you  landed. 
I  tell  you  you  are  bolting  down  mouthfuls  from  a  dead 
Happar's  carcass,  as  sure  as  you  live,  and  no  mis 
take  !  " 

Emetics  and  lukewarm  water!  What  a  sensation  in 
the  abdominal  regions  !  Sure  enough,  where  could  the 
fiends  incarnate  have  obtained  meat?  But  I  resolved  to 
satisfy  myself  at  all  hazards ;  and  turning  to  Mehevi,  I 
soon  made  the  ready  chief  understand  that  I  wished  a 
light  to  be  brought.  When  the  taper  came,  I  gazed 
eagerly  into  the  vessel,  and  recognised  the  mutilated 


OUR  ESCORT  139 

remains  of  a  juvenile  porker !  "  Puarkee ! "  exclaimed 
Kory-Kory,  looking  complacently  at  the  dish ;  and  from 
that  day  to  this  I  have  never  forgotten  that  such  is  the 
designation  of  a  pig  in  the  Typee  lingo. 

The  next  morning,  after  being  again  abundantly 
feasted  by  the  hospitable  Mehevi,  Toby  and  myself  arose 
to  depart.  But  the  chief  requested  us  to  pospone  our 
intention.  "  Abo,  abo,"  (Wait,  wait,)  he  said,  and  ac 
cordingly  we  resumed  our  seats,  while,  assisted  by  the 
zealous  Kory-Kory,  he  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  giving 
directions  to  a  number  of  the  natives  outside,  who  were 
busily  employed  in  making  arrangements,  the  nature  of 
which  we  could  not  comprehend.  But  we  were  not  left 
long  in  our  ignorance,  for  a  few  moments  only  had 
elapsed  when  the  chief  beckoned  us  to  approach,  and 
we  perceived  that  he  had  been  marshalling  a  kind  of 
guard  of  honour  to  escort  us  on  our  return  to  the  house 
of  Marheyo. 

The  procession  was  led  off  by  two  venerable-looking 
savages,  each  provided  with  a  spear,  from  the  end  of 
which  streamed  a  pennon  of  milk-white  tappa.  After 
them  went  several  youths,  bearing  aloft  calabashes  of 
poee-poee ;  and  followed  in  their  turn  by  four  stalwart 
fellows,  sustaining  long  bamboos,  from  the  tops  of  which 
hung  suspended,  at  least  twenty  feet  from  the  ground, 
large  baskets  of  green  bread-fruit.  Then  came  a  troop 
of  boys,  carrying  bunches  of  ripe  bananas,  and  baskets 
made  of  the  woven  leaflets  of  cocoa-nut  boughs,  filled 
with  the  young  fruit  of  the  tree,  the  naked  shells 
stripped  of  their  husks  peeping  forth  from  the  verdant 
wicker-work  that  surrounded  them.  Last  of  all  came  a 
burly  islander,  holding  over  his  head  a  wooden  trencher, 
in  which  lay  disposed  the  remnants  of  our  midnight 


140  TTPEE 

feast,  hidden  from  view,  however,  by  a  covering  of 
bread-fruit  leaves. 

Astonished  as  I  was  at  this  exhibition,  I  could  not 
avoid  smiling  at  its  grotesque  appearance,  and  the  as 
sociations  it  naturally  called  up.  Mehevi,  it  seemed, 
was  bent  on  replenishing  old  Marheyo's  larder,  fearful 
perhaps  that  without  this  precaution  his  guests  might 
not  fare  as  well  as  they  could  desire. 

As  soon  as  I  descended  from  the  pi-pi,  the  procession 
formed  anew,  enclosing  us  in  its  centre  ;  where  I  re 
mained  part  of  the  time,  carried  by  Kory-Kory,  and 
occasionally  relieving  him  from  his  burden  by  limping 
along  with  a  spear.  When  we  moved  off  in  this 
order,  the  natives  struck  up  a  musical  recitative,  which, 
with  various  alternations,  they  continued  until  we  ar 
rived  at  the  place  of  our  destination. 

As  we  proceeded  on  our  way,  bands  of  young  girls, 
darting  from  the  surrounding  groves,  hung  upon  our 
skirts,  and  accompanied  us  with  shouts  of  merriment 
and  delight,  which  almost  drowned  the  deep  notes  of 
the  recitative.  On  approaching  old  Marheyo's  domi 
cile,  its  inmates  rushed  out  to  receive  us ;  and  while  the 
gifts  of  the  Mehevi  were  being  disposed  of,  the  super 
annuated  warrior  did  the  honours  of  his  mansion  with 
all  the  warmth  of  hospitality  evinced  by  an  English 
squire  when  he  regales  his  friends  at  some  fine  old 
patrimonial  mansion. 


OUR  APPREHENSIONS  141 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Attempt  to  procure  Relief  from  Nukuheva —  Perilous  Adventure  of 
Toby  in  the  Happar  Mountain  —  Eloquence  of  Kory-Kory. 

AMIDST  these  novel  scenes  a  week  passed  away  almost 
imperceptibly.  The  natives,  actuated  by  some  myste 
rious  impulse,  day  after  day  redoubled  their  attentions 
to  us.  Their  manner  towards  us  was  unaccountable. 
Surely,  thought  I,  they  would  not  act  thus  if  they 
meant  us  any  harm.  But  why  this  excess  of  deferential 
kindness,  or  what  equivalent  can  they  imagine  us 
capable  of  rendering  them  for  it  ? 

We  were  fairly  puzzled.  But  despite  the  apprehen 
sions  I  could  not  dispel,  the  horrible  character  imputed 
to  these  Typees  appeared  to  me  wholly  undeserved. 

"  Why,  they  are  cannibals  !  "  said  Toby  on  one  occa 
sion  when  I  eulogised  the  tribe.  "  Granted,"  I  replied, 
"  but  a  more  humane,  gentlemanly,  and  amiable  set  of 
epicures  do  not  probably  exist  in  the  Pacific." 

But,  notwithstanding  the  kind  treatment  we  re 
ceived,  I  was  too  familiar  with  the  fickle  disposition  of 
savages  not  to  feel  anxious  to  withdraw  from  the 
valley,  and  put  myself  beyond  the  reach  of  that  fearful 
death  which,  under  all  these  smiling  appearances, 
might  yet  menace  us.  But  here  there  was  an  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  doing  so.  It  was  idle  for  me  to  think  of 
moving  from  the  place  until  I  should  have  recovered 
from  the  severe  lameness  that  afflicted  me ;  indeed  my 
malady  began  seriously  to  alarm  me ;  for,  despite  the 


142  TYPES 

herbal  remedies  of  the  natives,  it  continued  to  grow 
worse  and  worse.  Their  mild  applications,  though  they 
soothed  the  pain,  did  not  remove  the  disorder,  and  I 
felt  convinced  that  without  better  aid  I  might  antici 
pate  long  and  acute  suffering. 

But  how  was  this  aid  to  be  procured?  From  the 
surgeons  of  the  French  fleet,  which  probably  still  lay  in 
the  bay  of  Nukuheva,  it  might  easily  have  been  obtained, 
could  I  have  made  my  case  known  to  them.  But  how 
could  that  be  effected  ? 

At  last,  in  the  exigency  to  which  I  was  reduced,  I 
proposed  to  Toby  that  he  should  endeavour  to  go  round 
to  Nukuheva,  and  if  he  could  not  succeed  in  returning  to 
the  valley  by  water,  in  one  of  the  boats  of  the  squadron, 
and  taking  me  off,  he  might  at  least  procure  me  some 
proper  medicines,  and  effect  his  return  overland. 

My  companion  listened  to  me  in  silence,  and  at  first 
did  not  appear  to  relish  the  idea.  The  truth  was,  he  felt 
impatient  to  escape  from  the  place,  and  wished  to  avail 
himself  of  our  present  high  favour  with  the  natives  to 
make  good  our  retreat,  before  we  should  experience  some 
sudden  alteration  in  their  behaviour.  As  he  could  not 
think  of  leaving  me  in  my  helpless  condition,  he  implored 
me  to  be  of  good  cheer,  assured  me  that  I  should  soon 
be  better,  and  enabled  in  a  few  days  to  return  with  him 
to  Nukuheva. 

Added  to  this,  he  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  again  re 
turning  to  this  dangerous  place ;  and  as  for  the  expecta 
tion  of  persuading  the  Frenchmen  to  detach  a  boat's  crew 
for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  me  from  the  Typees,  he 
looked  upon  it  as  idle ;  and  with  arguments  that  I  could 
not  answer,  urged  the  improbability  of  their  provoking 
the  hostilities  of  the  clan  by  any  such  measure ;  espe- 


THE  GEIEF  OF  KOEY-KOET  143 

cially  as,  for  the  purpose  of  quieting  its  apprehensions, 
they  had  as  yet  refrained  from  making  any  visit  to  the 
bay.  "  And  even  should  they  consent,"  said  Toby,  "they 
would  only  produce  a  commotion  in  the  valley,  in  which 
we  might  both  be  sacrificed  by  these  ferocious  islanders." 
This  was  unanswerable ;  but  still  I  clung  to  the  belief 
that  he  might  succeed  in  accomplishing  the  other  part 
of  my  plan ;  and  at  last  I  overcame  his  scruples,  and  he 
agreed  to  make  the  attempt. 

As  soon  as  we  succeeded  in  making  the  natives  under, 
stand  our  intention,  they  broke  out  into  the  most  vehe 
ment  opposition  to  the  measure,  and  for  a  while  I  almost 
despaired  of  obtaining  their  consent.  At  the  bare  thought 
of  one  of  us  leaving  them,  they  manifested  the  most 
lively  concern.  The  grief  arid  consternation  of  Kory- 
Kory,  in  particular,  was  unbounded ;  he  threw  himself 
into  a  perfect  paroxysm  of  gestures,  which  were  intended 
to  convey  to  us  not  only  his  abhorrence  of  Nukuheva 
and  its  uncivilised  inhabitants,  but  also  his  astonishment 
that  after  becoming  acquainted  with  the  enlightened 
Typees,  we  should  evince  the  least  desire  to  withdraw, 
even  for  a  time,  from  their  agreeable  society. 

However,  I  overbore  his  objections  by  appealing  to  my 
lameness;  from  which  I  assured  the  natives  I  should 
speedily  recover,  if  Toby  were  permitted  to  obtain  the 
supplies  I  needed. 

It  was  agreed  that  on  the  following  morning  my  com 
panion  should  depart,  accompanied  by  some  one  or  two 
of  the  household,  who  should  point  out  to  him  an  easy 
route,  by  which  the  bay  might  be  reached  before  sunset. 

At  early  dawn  of  the  next  day,  our  habitation  was 
astir.  One  of  the  young  men  mounted  into  an  adjoining 
cocoa-nut  tree,  and  threw  down  a  number  of  the  young 


144  TYPES 

fruit,  which  old  Marheyo  quickly  stripped  of  the  green 
husks,  and  strung  together  upon  a  short  pole.  These 
were  intended  to  refresh  Toby  on  his  route. 

The  preparations  being  completed,  with  no  little 
emotion  I  bade  my  companion  adieu.  He  promised  to 
return  in  three  days  at  farthest;  and,  bidding  me  keep 
up  my  spirits  in  the  interval,  turned  round  the  corner 
of  the  pi-pi,  and,  under  the  guidance  of  the  venerable 
Marheyo,  was  soon  out  of  sight.  His  departure  op 
pressed  me  with  melancholy,  and,  re-entering  the  dwell 
ing,  I  threw  myself  almost  in  despair  upon  the  matting 
of  the  floor. 

In  two  hours'  time  the  old  warrior  returned,  and 
gave  me  to  understand  that,  after  accompanying  my 
companion  a  little  distance,  and  showing  him  the  route, 
he  had  left  him  journeying  on  his  way. 

It  was  about  noon  of  this  same  day,  a  season  which 
these  people  are  wont  to  pass  in  sleep,  that  I  lay  in  the 
house,  surrounded  by  its  slumbering  inmates,  and  pain 
fully  affected  by  the  strange  silence  which  prevailed. 
All  at  once  I  thought  I  heard  a  faint  shout,  as  if  pro 
ceeding  from  some  persons  in  the  depth  of  the  grove 
which  extended  in  front  of  our  habitation. 

The  sounds  grew  louder  and  nearer,  and  gradually 
the  whole  valley  rang  with  wild  outcries.  The  sleep 
ers  around  me  started  to  their  feet  in  alarm,  and  hurried 
outside  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  commotion.  Kory- 
Kory,  who  had  been  the  first  to  spring  up,  soon  re 
turned  almost  breathless,  and  nearly  frantic  with  the 
excitement  under  which  he  seemed  to  be  labouring. 
All  that  I  could  understand  from  him  was  that  some 
accident  had  happened  to  Toby.  Apprehensive  of  some 
dreadful  calamity,  I  rushed  out  of  the  house,  and  caught 


TOBY  ATTACKED  BY  HAPPARS  146 

sight  of  a  tumultuous  crowd,  who,  with  shrieks  and 
lamentations,  were  just  emerging  from  the  grove  bear 
ing  in  their  arms  some  object,  the  sight  of  which  pro 
duced  all  this  transport  of  sorrow.  As  they  drew  near, 
the  men  redoubled  their  cries,  while  the  girls,  tossing 
their  bare  arms  in  the  air,  exclaimed  plaintively, 
"Awha!  awha!  Toby  mukee  moee!"  —  Alas!  alas! 
Toby  is  killed! 

In  a  moment  the  crowd  opened,  and  disclosed  the 
apparently  lifeless  body  of  my  companion  borne  between 
two  men,  the  head  hanging  heavily  against  the  breast 
of  the  foremost.  TJie  whole  face,  neck,  and  bosom 
were  covered  with  blood,  which  still  trickled  slowly 
from  a  wound  behind  the  temple.  In  the  midst  of  the 
greatest  uproar  and  confusion  the  body  was  carried  into 
the  house  and  laid  on  a  mat.  Waving  the  natives  off 
to  give  room  and  air,  I  bent  eagerly  over  Toby,  and, 
laying  my  hand  upon  the  breast,  ascertained  that  the 
heart  still  beat.  Overjoyed  at  this,  I  seized  a  calabash 
of  water,  and  dashed  its  contents  upon  his  face,  then 
wiping  away  the  blood,  anxiously  examined  the  wound. 

It  was  about  three  inches  long,  and  on  removing  the 
clotted  hair  from  about  it,  showed  the  skull  laid  com 
pletely  bare.  Immediately  with  my  knife  I  cut  away 
the  heavy  locks,  and  bathed  the  part  repeatedly  in 
water. 

In  a  few  moments  Toby  revived,  and  opening  his 
eyes  for  a  second,  closed  them  again  without  speaking. 
Kory-Kory,  who  had  been  kneeling  beside  me,  now 
chafed  his  limbs  gently  with  the  palms  of  his  hands, 
while  a  young  girl  at  his  head  kept  fanning  him,  and  I 
still  continued  to  moisten  his  lips  and  brow.  Soon  my 
poor  comrade  showed  signs  of  animation,  and  I  sue- 


146  TYPES 

ceeded  in  making  him  swallow  from  a  cocoa-nut  shell  a 
few  mouthfuls  of  water. 

Old  Tinor  now  appeared,  holding  in  her  hand  some 
simples  she  had  gathered,  the  juice  of  which  she  by 
signs  besought  me  to  squeeze  into  the  wound.  Having 
done  so,  I  thought  it  best  to  leave  Toby  undisturbed 
until  he  should  have  had  time  to  rally  his  faculties. 
Several  times  he  opened  his  lips,  but  fearful  for  his 
safety  I  enjoined  silence.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three 
hours,  however,  he  sat  up,  and  was  sufficiently  recovered 
to  tell  me  what  had  occurred. 

"After  leaving  the  house  with  Marheyo,"said  Toby, 
"  we  struck  across  the  valley,  and  ascended  the  opposite 
heights.  Just  beyond  them,  my  guide  informed  me, 
lay  the  valley  of  Happar,  while  along  their  summits, 
and  skirting  the  head  of  the  vale,  was  my  route  to 
Nukuheva. 

"  After  mounting  a  little  way  up  the  elevation  my 
guide  paused,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  could 
not  accompany  me  any  farther,  and  by  various  signs 
intimated  that  he  was  afraid  to  approach  any  nearer 
the  territories  of  the  enemies  of  his  tribe.  He,  how 
ever,  pointed  out  my  path,  which  now  lay  clearly 
before  me,  and  bidding  me  farewell,  hastily  descended 
the  mountain. 

"  Quite  elated  at  being  so  near  the  Happars,  I  pushed 
up  the  acclivity,  and  soon  gained  its  summit.  It 
tapered  up  to  a  sharp  ridge,  from  whence  I  beheld 
both  the  hostile  valleys.  Here  I  sat  down  and  rested 
for  a  moment,  refreshing  myself  with  my  cocoa-nuts. 
I  was  soon  again  pursuing  my  way  along  the  height, 
when  suddenly  I  saw  three  of  the  islanders,  who  must 
have  just  come  out  of  Happar  valley,  standing  in  the 


TOBY'S  ESCAPE 

path  ahead  of  me.  They  were  each  armed  with  a  heavy 
spear,  and  one  from  his  appearance  I  took  to  be  a  chief. 
They  sung  out  something,  I  could  not  understand  what, 
and  beckoned  me  to  come  on. 

"Without  the  least  hesitation  I  advanced  towards 
them,  and  had  approached  within  about  a  yard  of  the 
foremost,  when,  pointing  angrily  into  the  Typee  valley, 
and  uttering  some  savage  exclamation,  he  wheeled 
round  his  weapon  like  lightning,  and  struck  me  in  a 
moment  to  the  ground.  The  blow  inflicted  this  wound, 
and  took  away  my  senses.  As  soon  as  I  came  to  myself, 
I  perceived  the  three  islanders  standing  a  little  distance 
off,  and  apparently  engaged  in  some  violent  altercation 
respecting  me. 

"My  first  impulse  was  to  run  for  it;  but,  in  en 
deavouring  to  rise,  I  fell  back,  and  rolled  down  a  little 
grassy  precipice.  The  shock  seemed  to  rally  my  facul 
ties  ;  so,  starting  to  my  feet,  I  fled  down  the  path  I  had 
just  ascended.  I  had  no  need  to  look  behind  me,  for, 
from  the  yells  I  heard,  I  knew  that  my  enemies  were 
in  full  pursuit.  Urged  on  by  their  fearful  outcries, 
and  heedless  of  the  injury  I  had  received —  though  the 
blood  flowing  from  the  wound  trickled  over  into  my 
eyes  and  almost  blinded  me  —  I  rushed  down  the  moun 
tain  side  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  In  a  short  time 
I  had  descended  nearly  a  third  of  the  distance,  and  the 
savages  had  ceased  their  cries,  when  suddenly  a  terrific 
howl  burst  upon  my  ear,  and  at  the  same  moment  a 
heavy  javelin  darted  past  me  as  I  fled,  and  stuck  quiver 
ing  in  a  tree  close  to  me.  Another  yell  followed,  a 
second  spear  and  a  third  shot  through  the  air  within  a 
few  feet  of  my  body,  both  of  them  piercing  the  ground 
obliquely  in  advance  of  me.  The  fellows  gave  a  roar 


148  TTPEE 

of  rage  and  disappointment;  but  they  were  afraid,  1 
suppose,  of  coming  down  further  into  the  Typee  valley, 
and  so  abandoned  the  chase.  I  saw  them  recover  their 
weapons  and  turn  back ;  and  I  continued  my  descent  as 
fast  as  I  could. 

"  What  could  have  caused  this  ferocious  attack  on  the 
part  of  these  Happars  I  could  not  imagine,  unless  it 
were  that  they  had  seen  me  ascending  the  mountain 
with  Marheyo,  and  that  the  mere  fact  of  coming  from 
the  Typee  valley  was  sufficient  to  provoke  them. 

"  As  long  as  I  was  in  danger  I  scarcely  felt  the  wound 
I  had  received ;  but  when  the  chase  was  over  I  began  to 
suffer  from  it.  I  had  lost  my  hat  in  my  flight,  and  the 
sun  scorched  my  bare  head.  I  felt  faint  and  giddy ;  but, 
fearful  of  falling  to  the  ground  beyond  the  reach  of  as 
sistance,  I  staggered  on  as  well  as  I  could,  and  at  last 
gained  the  level  of  the  valley,  and  then  down  I  sunk; 
and  I  knew  nothing  more  until  I  found  myself  lying 
upon  these  mats,  and  you  stooping  over  me  with  the 
calabash  of  water." 

Such  was  Toby's  account  of  this  sad  affair.  I  after 
wards  learned  that  fortunately  he  had  fallen  close  to  a 
spot  where  the  natives  go  for  fuel.  A  party  of  them 
caught  sight  of  him  as  he  fell,  and  sounding  the  alarm, 
had  lifted  him  up ;  and  after  ineffectually  endeavouring 
to  restore  him  at  the  brook}  *iad  hurried  forward  with 
him  to  the  house. 

This  incident  threw  a  dark  cloud  over  our  prospects. 
It  reminded  us  that  we  were  hemmed  in  by  hostile 
tribes,  whose  territories  we  could  not  hope  to  pass,  on 
our  route  to  Nukuheva,  without  encountering  the  effects 
of  their  savage  resentment.  There  appeared  to  be  no 
avenue  opened  to  our  escape  but  the  sea,  which  washed 
the  lower  extremity  of  the  vale. 


KORY-EORY' 8  STRANGE  CONDUCT  149 

Our  Typee  friends  availed  themselves  of  the  recent 
disaster  of  Toby  to  exhort  us  to  a  due  appreciation  of 
the  blessings  we  enjoyed  among  them;  contrasting  their 
own  generous  reception  of  us  with  the  animosity  of  their 
neighbours.  They  likewise  dwelt  upon  the  cannibal 
propensities  of  the  Happars,  a  subject  which  they  were 
perfectly  aware  could  not  fail  to  alarm  us ;  while  at  the 
same  time  they  earnestly  disclaimed  all  participation  in 
so  horrid  a  custom.  Nor  did  they  omit  to  call  upon  us 
to  admire  the  natural  loveliness  of  their  own  abode,  and 
the  lavish  abundance  with  which  it  produced  all  manner 
of  luxuriant  fruits :  exalting  it  in  this  particular  above 
any  of  the  surrounding  valleys. 

Kory-Kory  seemed  to  experience  so  heartfelt  a  desire 
to  infuse  into  our  minds  proper  views  on  these  subjects, 
that,  assisted  in  his  endeavours  by  the  little  knowledge 
of  the  language  we  had  acquired,  he  actually  succeeded 
in  making  us  comprehend  a  considerable  part  of  what  he 
said.  To  facilitate  our  correct  apprehension  of  his 
meaning,  he  at  first  condensed  his  ideas  into  the  small 
est  possible  compass. 

"  Happar  keekeeno  nuee,"  he  exclaimed:  "nuee,  nuee, 
ki  ki  kanaka!  —  ah!  owle  motarkee!"  which  signifies, 
"Terrible  fellows  those  Happars! — devour  an  amazing 
quantity  of  men!  —  ah,  shocking  bad!"  Thus  far  he 
explained  himself  by  a  variety  of  gestures,  during  the 
performance  of  which  he  would  dart  out  of  the  house, 
and  point  abhorrently  towards  the  Happar  valley ;  run 
ning  in  to  us  again  with  a  rapidity  that  showed  he  was 
fearful  we  would  lose  one  part  of  his  meaning  before  he 
could  complete  the  other;  and  continuing  his  illustra 
tions  by  seizing  the  fleshy  part  of  my  arm  in  his  teeth, 
intimating  by  the  operation  that  the  people  who  lived 


150  TTPEE 

over  in  that  direction  would  like  nothing  better  than  to 
treat  me  in  that  manner. 

Having  assured  himself  that  we  were  fully  enlightened 
on  this  point,  he  proceeded  to  another  branch  of  his  sub 
ject.  "Ah!  Typee  motarkee! — nuee,  nuee  mioree  — 
nuee,  nuee,  wai  —  nuee,  nuee  poee-poee — nuee,  nuee 
kokoo  —  ah!  nuee  nuee,  kiki  —  ah!  nuee,  nuee,  nuee !" 
Which,  literally  interpreted  as  before,  would  imply, 
"Ah,  Typee!  isn't  it  a  fine  place  though!  —  no  danger 
of  starving  here,  I  tell  you!  —  plenty  of  bread-fruit — 
plenty  of  water  —  plenty  of  pudding — ah!  plenty  of 
everything!  —  ah!  heaps,  heaps,  heaps !"  All  this  was 
accompanied  by  a  running  commentary  of  signs  and  ges 
tures  which  it  was  impossible  not  to  comprehend. 

As  he  continued  his  harangue,  however,  Kory-Kory,  in 
emulation  of  our  more  polished  orators,  began  to  launch 
out  rather  diffusely  into  other  branches  of  his  subject, 
enlarging,  probably,  upon  the  moral  reflections  it  sug 
gested;  and  proceeded  in  such  a  strain  of  unintelligible 
and  stunning  gibberish,  that  he  actually  gave  me  the 
headache  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 


A  PREY  TO  GLOOMY  THOUGHTS  151 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  great  Event  happens  in  the  Valley  —  The  Island  Telegraph -^ 
Something  befalls  Toby  —  Fayaway  displays  a  tender  Heart  — Melan-. 
choly  Reflections  —  Mysterious  Conduct  of  the  Islanders  —  Devotion 
of  Kory-Kory  —  A  rural  Couch  —  A  Luxury  —  Kory-Kory  strikes  a 
Light  (t  la  Typee. 

IN  the  course  of  a  few  days  Toby  had  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  his  adventure  with  the  Happar  warriors ;  the 
wound  on  his  head  rapidly  healing  under  the  vegetable 
treatment  of  the  good  Tinor.  Less  fortunate  than  my 
companion,  however,  I  still  continued  to  languish  under 
a  complaint  the  origin  and  nature  of  which  were  still  a 
mystery.  Cut  off  as  I  was  from  all  intercourse  with  the 
civilised  world,  and  feeling  the  inefficiency  of  anything 
the  natives  could  do  to  relieve  me;  knowing  too,  that 
so  long  as  I  remained  in  my  present  condition,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  me  to  leave  the  valley,  whatever 
opportunity  might  present  itself ;  and  apprehensive  that 
ere  long  we  might  be  exposed  to  some  caprice  on  the 
part  of  the  Islanders,  I  now  gave  up  all  hopes  of  recov 
ery,  and  became  a  prey  to  the  most  gloomy  thoughts. 
A  deep  dejection  fell  upon  me,  which  neither  the 
friendly  remonstrances  of  my  companion,  the  devoted 
attentions  of  Kory-Kory,  nor  all  the  soothing  influences 
of  Fayaway  could  remove. 

One  morning  as  I  lay  on  the  mats  in  the  house, 
plunged  in  melancholy  reverie,  and  regardless  of  every 
thing  around  me,  Toby,  who  had  left  me  about  an  hour* 


152  TYPES 

returned  in  haste,  and  with  great  glee  told  me  to  cheer 
up  and  be  of  good  heart;  for  he  believed,  from  what 
was  going  on  among  the  natives,  that  there  were  boats 
approaching  the  bay. 

These  tidings  operated  upon  me  like  magic.  The 
hour  of  our  deliverance  was  at  hand,  and  starting  up,  I 
was  soon  convinced  that  something  unusual  was  about  to 
occur.  The  word,  "  botee  !  botee  !  "  was  vociferated  in 
all  directions  ;  and  shouts  were  heard  in  the  distance,  at 
first  feebly  and  faintly ;  but  growing  louder  and  nearer 
at  each  successive  repetition,  until  they  were  caught  up 
by  a  fellow  in  a  cocoa-nut  tree  a  few  yards  off,  who 
sounding  them  in  turn,  they  were  reiterated  from  a 
neighbouring  grove,  and  so  died  away  gradually  from 
point  to  point,  as  the  intelligence  penetrated  into  the 
farthest  recesses  of  the  valley.  This  was  the  vocal  tele 
graph  of  the  islanders  ;  by  means  of  which  condensed 
items  of  information  could  be  carried  in  a  very  few 
minutes  from  the  sea  to  their  remotest  habitation,  a  dis 
tance  of  at  least  eight  or  nine  miles.  On  the  present  oc 
casion  it  was  in  active  operation ;  one  piece  of  informa 
tion  following  another  with  inconceivable  rapidity. 

The  greatest  commotion  now  appeared  to  prevail.  At 
every  fresh  item  of  intelligence  the  natives  betrayed  the 
liveliest  interest,  and  redoubled  the  energy  with  which 
they  employed  themselves  in  collecting  fruit  to  sell  to 
the  expected  visitors.  Some  were  tearing  off  the  husks 
from  cocoa-nuts ;  some  perched  in  the  trees  were  throw 
ing  down  bread-fruit  to  their  companions,  who  gathered 
them  into  heaps  as  they  fell ;  while  others  were  plying 
their  fingers  rapidly  in  weaving  leafen  baskets  in  which 
to  carry  the  fruit. 

There  were  other  matters  too  going  on  at  the  same 


A  GREAT  EVENT  153 

time.  Here  you  would  see  a  stout  warrior  polishing  his 
spear  with  a  bit  of  old  tappa,  or  adjusting  the  folds  of 
the  girdle  about  his  waist ;  and  there  you  might  descry 
a  young  damsel  decorating  herself  with  flowers,  as  if 
having  in  her  eyes  some  maidenly  conquest ;  while,  as  in 
all  cases  of  hurry  and  confusion  in  every  part  of  the 
world,  a  number  of  individuals  kept  hurrying  to  and  fro, 
with  amazing  vigour  and  perseverance,  doing  nothing 
themselves,  and  hindering  others. 

Never  before  had  we  seen  the  islanders  in  such  a  state 
of  bustle  and  excitement ;  and  the  scene  furnished  abun 
dant  evidence  of  the  fact  —  that  it  was  only  at  long  in 
tervals  any  such  events  occur. 

When  I  thought  of  the  length  of  time  that  might  inter 
vene  before  a  similar  chance  of  escape  would  be  presented, 
I  bitterly  lamented  that  I  had  not  the  power  of  availing 
myself  effectually  of  the  present  opportunity. 

From  all  that  we  could  gather,  it  appeared  that  the 
natives  were  fearful  of  arriving  too  late  upon  the  beach, 
unless  they  made  extraordinary  exertions.  Sick  and 
lame  as  I  was,  I  would  have  started  with  Toby  at  once, 
had  not  Kory-Kory  not  only  refused  to  carry  me,  but 
manifested  the  most  invincible  repugnance  to  our  leav 
ing  the  neighbourhood  of  the  house.  The  rest  of  the 
savages  were  equally  opposed  to  our  wishes,  and  seemed 
grieved  and  astonished  at  the  earnestness  of  my  solicita 
tions.  I  clearly  perceived  that  while  my  attendant 
avoided  all  appearance  of  constraining  my  movements, 
he  was  nevertheless  determined  to  thwart  my  wish.  He 
seemed  to  me  on  this  particular  occasion,  as  well  as  often 
afterwards,  to  be  executing  the  orders  of  some  other 
person  with  regard  to  me,  though  at  the  same  time  feel 
ing  towards  me  the  most  lively  affection. 


154  TTPEE 

Toby,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to  accompany  the 
islanders  if  possible,  as  soon  as  they  were  in  readiness 
to  depart,  and  who  for  that  reason  had  refrained  from 
showing  the  same  anxiety  that  I  had  done,  now  repre 
sented  to  me  that  it  was  idle  for  me  to  entertain  the 
hope  of  reaching  the  beach  in  time  to  profit  by  any 
opportunity  that  might  then  be  presented. 

"  Do  you  not  see,"  said  he,  "  the  savages  themselves 
are  fearful  of  being  too  late,  and  I  should  hurry  forward 
myself  at  once  did  I  not  think  that  if  I  showed  too 
much  eagerness  I  should  destroy  all  our  hopes  of  reap 
ing  any  benefit  from  this  fortunate  event.  If  you  will 
only  endeavour  to  appear  tranquil  or  unconcerned,  you 
will  quiet  their  suspicions,  and  I  have  no  doubt  they 
will  then  let  me  go  with  them  to  the  beach,  supposing 
that  I  merely  go  out  of  curiosity.  Should  I  succeed  in 
getting  down  to  the  boats,  I  will  make  known  the  con 
dition  in  which  I  have  left  you,  and  measures  may  then 
be  taken  to  secure  our  escape." 

In  the  expediency  of  this  I  could  not  but  acquiesce  ; 
and  as  the  natives  had  now  completed  their  prepara 
tions,  I  watched  with  the  liveliest  interest  the  reception 
that  Toby's  application  might  meet  with.  As  soon  as 
they  understood  from  my  companion  that  I  intended  to 
remain,  they  appeared  to  make  no  objection  to  his  prop 
osition,  and  even  hailed  it  with  pleasure.  Their  singu 
lar  conduct  on  this  occasion  not  a  little  puzzled  me  at 
the  time,  and  imparted  to  subsequent  events  an  addi 
tional  mystery. 

The  islanders  were  now  to  be  seen  hurrying  along  the 
path  which  led  to  the  sea.  I  shook  Toby  warmly  by 
the  hand,  and  gave  him  my  Payta  hat  to  shield  his 
wounded  head  from  the  sun,  as  he  had  lost  his  own. 


A  NOVEL  SIGHT  155 

He  cordially  returned  the  pressure  of  my  hand,  and  sol 
emnly  promising  to  return  as  soon  as  the  boats  should 
leave  the  shore,  sprang  from  my  side,  and  the  next  min 
ute  disappeared  in  a  turn  of  the  grove. 

In  spite  of  the  unpleasant  reflections  that  crowded 
upon  my  mind,  I  could  not  but  be  entertained  by  the 
novel  and  animated  sight  which  now  met  my  view. 
One  after  another  the  natives  crowded  along  the  narrow 
path,  laden  with  every  variety  of  fruit.  Here,  you 
might  have  seen  one,  who,  after  ineffectually  endeavour 
ing  to  persuade  a  surly  porker  to  be  conducted  in  lead 
ing  strings,  was  obliged  at  last  to  seize  the  perverse 
animal  in  his  arms,  and  carry  him  struggling  against 
his  naked  breast,  and  squealing  without  intermission. 
There  went  two,  who  at  a  little  distance  might  have 
been  taken  for  the  Hebrew  spies,  on  their  return  to 
Moses  with  the  goodly  bunch  of  grapes.  One  trotted 
before  the  other  at  a  distance  of  a  couple  of  yards,  while 
between  them,  from  a  pole  resting  on  their  shoulders, 
was  suspended  a  huge  cluster  of  bananas,  which  swayed 
to  and  fro  with  the  rocking  gait  at  which  they  pro 
ceeded.  Here  ran  another,  perspiring  with  his  exer 
tions,  and  bearing  before  him  a  quantity  of  cocoa-nuts, 
who,  fearful  of  being  too  late,  heeded  not  the  fruit  that 
dropped  from  his  basket,  and  appeared  solely  intent 
upon  reaching  his  destination,  careless  how  many  of  his 
cocoa-nuts  kept  company  with  him. 

In  a  short  time  the  last  straggler  was  seen  hurrying 
on  his  way,  and  the  faint  shouts  of  those  in  advance 
died  insensibly  upon  the  ear.  Our  part  of  the  valley 
now  appeared  nearly  deserted  by  its  inhabitants,  Kory- 
Kory,  his  aged  father,  and  a  few  decrepit  old  people 
being  all  that  were  left- 


156  TTPEE 

Towards  sunset  the  islanders  in  small  parties  began 
to  return  from  the  beach,  and  among  them,  as  they  drew 
near  to  the  house,  I  sought  to  descry  the  form  of  my 
companion.  But  one  after  another  they  passed  the 
dwelling,  and  I  caught  no  glimpse  of  him.  Supposing, 
however,  that  he  would  soon  appear  with  some  of  the 
members  of  the  household,  I  quieted  my  apprehensions, 
and  waited  patiently  to  see  him  advancing  in  company 
with  the  beautiful  Fay  away.  At  last  I  perceived  Tinor 
coming  forward,  followed  by  the  girls  and  young  men 
who  usually  resided  in  the  house  of  Marheyo ;  but  with 
them  came  not  my  comrade,  and,  filled  with  a  thousand 
alarms,  I  eagerly  sought  to  discover  the  cause  of  his 
delay. 

My  earnest  questions  appeared  to  embarrass  the 
natives  greatly.  All  their  accounts  were  contradictory : 
one  giving  me  to  understand  that  Toby  would  be  with 
me  in  a  very  short  time ;  another  that  he  did  not  know 
where  he  was ;  while  a  third,  violently  inveighing 
against  him,  assured  me  that  he  had  stolen  away,  and 
would  never  come  back.  It  appeared  to  me,  at  the 
time,  that  in  making  these  various  statements  they  en 
deavored  to  conceal  from  me  some  terrible  disaster,  lest 
the  knowledge  of  it  should  overpower  me. 

Fearful  lest  some  fatal  calamity  had  overtaken  him, 
I  sought  out  young  Fayaway,  and  endeavoured  to  learn 
from  her,  if  possible,  the  truth. 

This  gentle  being  had  early  attracted  my  regard,  not 
only  from  her  extraordinary  beauty,  but  from  the 
attractive  cast  of  her  countenance,  singularly  expressive 
of  intelligence  and  humanity.  Of  all  the  natives  she 
alone  seemed  to  appreciate  the  effect  whicj.  the  peculi 
arity  of  the  circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed  had 


FAYAWAY'S  SYMPATHY  157 

produced  upon  the  minds  of  my  companion  and  myself. 
In  addressing  me  —  especially  when  I  lay  reclining  upon 
the  mats  suffering  from  pain  —  there  was  a  tenderness 
in  her  manner  which  it  was  impossible  to  misunderstand 
or  resist.  Whenever  she  entered  the  house,  the  ex 
pression  of  her  face  indicated  the  liveliest  sympathy  for 
me;  and  moving  towards  the  place  where  I  lay,  with 
one  arm  slightly  elevated  in  a  gesture  of  pity,  and  her 
large  glistening  eyes  gazing  intently  into  mine,  she 
would  murmur  plaintively,  "  Awha !  awha !  Tommo," 
and  seat  herself  mournfully  beside  me. 

Her  manner  convinced  me  that  she  deeply  compas* 
sionated  my  situation,  as  being  removed  from  my  coun^ 
try  and  friends,  and  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  all 
relief.  Indeed,  at  times  I  was  almost  led  to  believe 
that  her  mind  was  swayed  by  gentle  impulses  hardly  to 
be  anticipated  from  one  in  her  condition;  that  she 
appeared  to  be  conscious  there  were  ties  rudely  severed, 
which  had  once  bound  us  to  our  homes ;  that  there  were 
sisters  and  brothers  anxiously  looking  forward  to  our 
return,  who  were,  perhaps,  never  more  to  behold  us. 

In  this  amiable  light  did  Fayaway  appear  in  my  eyes ; 
and  reposing  full  confidence  in  her  candour  and  intelli 
gence,  I  now  had  recourse  to  her,  in  the  midst  of  my 
alarm,  with  regard  to  my  companion. 

My  questions  evidently  distressed  her.  She  looked 
round  from  one  to  another  of  the  bystanders,  as  if 
hardly  knowing  what  answer  to  give  me.  At  last, 
yielding  to  my  importunities,  she  overcame  her  scruples, 
and  gave  me  to  understand  that  Toby  had  gone  away 
with  the  boats  which  had  visited  the  bay,  but  had  prom 
ised  to  return  at  the  expiration  of  three  days.  At  first 
I  accused  him  of  perfidiously  deserting  me ;  but  as  I 


158  TTPEE 

grew  more  composed,  I  upbraided  myself  for  imputing 
so  cowardly  an  action  to  him,  and  tranquillized  myself 
with  the  belief  that  he  had  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity  to  go  round  to  Nukuheva,  in  order  to  make 
some  arrangement  by  which  I  could  be  removed  from 
the  valley.  At  any  rate,  thought  I,  he  will  return  with 
the  medicines  I  require,  and  then,  as  soon  as  I  recover, 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  the  way  of  our  departure. 

Consoling  myself  with  these  reflections,  I  lay  down 
that  night  in  a  happier  frame  of  mind  than  I  had  done 
for  some  time.  The  next  day  passed  without  any  allu 
sion  to  Toby  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  who  seemed 
desirous  of  avoiding  all  reference  to  the  subject.  This 
raised  some  apprehensions  in  my  breast ;  but  when 
night  came,  I  congratulated  myself  that  the  second  day 
had  now  gone  by,  and  that  on  the  morrow  Toby  would 
again  be  with  me.  But  the  morrow  came  and  went, 
and  my  companion  did  not  appear.  Ah  !  thought  I,  he 
reckons  three  days  from  the  morning  of  his  departure, 
—  to-morrow  he  will  arrive.  But  that  weary  day  also 
closed  upon  me,  without  his  return.  Even  yet  I  would 
not  despair ;  I  thought  that  something  detained  him  — 
that  he  was  waiting  for  the  sailing  of  a  boat,  at  Nuku 
heva,  and  that  in  a  day  or  two  at  farthest  I  should  see 
him  again.  But  day  after  day  of  renewed  disappoint 
ment  passed  by  ;  at  last  hope  deserted  me,  and  I  fell  a 
victim  to  despair. 

Yes,  thought  I,  gloomily,  he  has  secured  his  own 
escape,  and  cares  not  what  calamity  may  befall  his  un 
fortunate  comrade.  Fool  that  I  was,  to  suppose  that  any 
one  would  willingly  encounter  the  perils  of  this  valley, 
after  having  once  got  beyond  its  limits  !  He  has  gone, 
and  has  left  me  to  combat  alone  all  the  dangers  by 


MELANCHOLY  REFLECTIONS  159 

which  I  am  surrounded.  Thus  would  I  sometimes  seek 
to  derive  a  desperate  consolation  from  dwelling  upon 
the  perfidy  of  Toby :  whilst  at  other  times  I  sunk  under 
the  bitter  remorse  which  I  felt  as  having  by  my  own 
imprudence  brought  upon  myself  the  fate  which  I  was 
sure  awaited  me. 

At  other  times  I  thought  that  perhaps  after  all  these 
treacherous  savages  have  made  away  with  him,  and 
thence  the  confusion  into  which  they  were  thrown  by 
my  questions,  and  their  contradictory  answers,  or  he 
might  be  a  captive  in  some  other  part  of  the  valley ;  or, 
more  dreadful  still,  might  have  met  with  that  fate  at 
which  my  very  soul  shuddered.  But  all  these  specula 
tions  were  vain  ;  no  tidings  of  Toby  ever  reached  me ; 
he  had  gone  never  to  return. 

The  conduct  of  the  islanders  appeared  inexplicable. 
All  reference  to  my  lost  comrade  was  carefully  evaded, 
and  if  at  any  time  they  were  forced  to  make  some  reply 
to  my  frequent  inquiries  on  the  subject,  they  would 
uniformly  denounce  him  as  an  ungrateful  runaway, 
who  had  deserted  his  friend,  and  taken  himself  off  to 
that  vile  and  detestable  place,  Nukuheva. 

But  whatever  might  have  been  his  fate,  now  that  he 
was  gone,  the  natives  multiplied  their  acts  of  kindness 
and  attention  towards  myself,  treating  me  with  a 
degree  of  deference  which  could  hardly  have  been  sur 
passed  had  I  been  some  celestial  visitant.  Kory-Kory 
never  for  one  moment  left  my  side,  unless  it  were  to 
execute  my  wishes.  The  faithful  fellow,  twice  every 
day,  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  and  in  the  evening, 
insisted  upon  carrying  me  to  the  stream,  and  bathing 
me  in  its  refreshing  water. 

Frequently  in  the  afternoon  he  would  carry  me  to  a 


160  TYPEE 

particular  part  of  the  stream,  where  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  produced  a  soothing  influence  upon  my  mind. 
At  this  place  the  waters  flowed  between  grassy  banks, 
planted  with  enormous  bread-fruit  trees,  whose  vast 
branches,  interlacing  overhead,  formed  a  leafy  canopy. 
Near  the  stream  were  several  smooth  black  rocks.  One 
of  these,  projecting  several  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  had  upon  its  summit  a  shallow  cavity,  which, 
filled  with  freshly-gathered  leaves,  formed  a  delightful 
couch. 

Here  I  often  lay  for  hours,  covered  with  a  gauze-like 
veil  of  tappa,  while  Fayaway,  seated  beside  me,  and 
holding  in  her  hand  a  fan  woven  from  the  leaflets  of  a 
young  cocoa-nut  bough,  brushed  aside  the  insects  that 
occasionally  lighted  on  my  face,  and  Kory-Kory,  with  a 
view  of  chasing  away  my  melancholy,  performed  a 
thousand  antics  in  the  water  before  us. 

As  my  eye  wandered  along  this  romantic  stream,  it 
would  fall  upon  the  half-immersed  figure  of  a  beautiful 
girl,  standing  in  the  transparent  water,  and  catching  in 
a  little  net  a  species  of  diminutive  shell-fish,  of  which 
these  people  are  extravagantly  fond.  Sometimes  a  chat 
tering  group  would  be  seated  upon  the  edge  of  a  low 
rock  in  the  midst  of  the  brook,  busily  engaged  in  thin 
ning  and  polishing  the  shells  of  cocoa-nuts,  by  rubbing 
them  briskly  with  a  small  stone  in  the  water,  an  opera 
tion  which  soon  converts  them  into  a  light  and  elegant 
drinking  vessel,  somewhat  resembling  goblets  made  of 
tortoise  shell. 

But  the  tranquillizing  influences  of  beautiful  scenery, 
and  the  exhibition  of  human  life  under  so  novel  and 
charming  an  aspect,  were  not  my  only  sources  of  conso 
lation. 


SOURCES  OF  CONSOLATION  161 

Every  evening  the  girls  of  the  house  gathered  about 
me  on  the  mats,  and  after  chasing  away  Kory-Kory  from 
my  side  —  who,  nevertheless,  retired  only  to  a  little  dis 
tance  and  watched  their  proceedings  with  the  most  jeal 
ous  attention — would  anoint  my  whole  body  with  a 
fragrant  oil,  squeezed  from  a  yellow  root,  previously 
pounded  between  a  couple  of  stones,  and  which  in  their 
language  is  denominated  "  aka."  And  most  refreshing 
and  agreeable  are  the  juices  of  the  "  aka,"  when  applied 
to  one's  limbs  by  the  soft  palms  of  sweet  nymphs,  whose 
bright  eyes  are  beaming  upon  you  with  kindness ;  and  I 
used  to  hail  with  delight  the  daily  recurrence  of  this 
luxurious  operation,  in  which  I  forgot  all  my  troubles, 
and  buried  for  the  time  every  feeling  of  sorrow. 

Sometimes  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  my  devoted  ser 
vitor  would  lead  me  out  upon  the  pi-pi  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  seating  me  near  its  edge,  protect  my  body 
from  the  annoyances  of  the  insects  which  occasionally 
hovered  in  the  air,  by  wrapping  me  round  with  a  large 
roll  of  tappa.  He  then  bustled  about,  and  employed 
himself  at  least  twenty  minutes  in  adjusting  everything 
to  secure  my  personal  comfort. 

Having  perfected  his  arrangements,  he  would  get  my 
pipe,  and,  lighting  it,  would  hand  it  to  me.  Often  he 
was  obliged  to  strike  a  light  for  the  occasion,  and  as  the 
mode  he  adopted  was  entirely  different  from  what  I  had 
ever  seen  or  heard  of  before,  I  will  describe  it. 

A  straight,  dry,  and  partly  decayed  stick  of  the  Hi 
biscus,  about  six  feet  in  length,  and  half  as  many  inches 
in  diameter,  with  a  smaller  bit  of  wood  not  more  than  a 
foot  long,  and  scarcely  an  inch  wide,  is  as  invariably  to 
be  met  with  in  every  house  in  Typee  as  a  box  of  lucifer 
matches  in  the  corner  of  the  kitchen  cupboard  at  home. 


162  TTPEE 

The  islander,  placing  the  larger  stick  obliquely  against 
some  object,  with  one  end  elevated  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees,  mounts  astride  of  it  like  an  urchin  about  to 
gallop  off  upon  a  cane,  and  then  grasping  the  smaller 
one  firmly  in  both  hands,  he  rubs  its  pointed  end  slowly 
up  and  down  the  extent  of  a  few  inches  on  the  principal 
stick,  until  at  last  he  makes  a  narrow  groove  in  the 
wood,  with  an  abrupt  termination  at  the  point  furthest 
from  him,  where  all  the  dusty  particles  which  the  fric 
tion  creates  are  accumulated  in  a  little  heap. 

At  first  Kory-Kory  goes  to  work  quite  leisurely,  but 
gradually  quickens  his  pace,  and  waxing  warm  in  the 
employment,  drives  the  stick  furiously  along  the  smok 
ing  channel,  plying  his  hands  to  and  fro  with  amazing 
rapidity,  the  perspiration  starting  from  every  pore.  As 
he  approaches  the  climax  of  his  effort,  he  pants  and 
gasps  for  breath,  and  his  eyes  almost  start  from  their 
sockets  with  the  violence  of  his  exertions.  This  is  the 
critical  stage  of  the  operation ;  all  his  previous  labours 
are  vain  if  he  cannot  sustain  the  rapidity  of  the  move 
ment  until  the  reluctant  spark  is  produced.  Suddenly 
he  stops,  becomes  perfectly  motionless.  His  hands  still 
retain  their  hold  of  the  smaller  stick,  which  is  pressed 
convulsively  against  the  further  end  of  the  channel 
among  the  fine  powder  there  accumulated,  as  if  he  had 
just  pierced  through  and  through  some  little  viper  that 
was  wriggling  and  struggling  to  escape  from  his  clutches. 
The  next  moment  a  delicate  wreath  of  smoke  curls 
spirally  into  the  air,  the  heap  of  dusty  particles  glow 
with  fire,  and  Kory-Kory,  almost  breathless,  dismounts 
from  his  steed. 

This  operation  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  most  laborious 
species  of  work  performed  in  Typee ;  and  had  I  possessed 


A   STRIKING   COMPARISON  163 

a  sufficient  intimacy  with  the  language  to  have  conveyed 
my  ideas  upon  the  subject,  I  should  certainly  have  sug 
gested  to  the  most  influential  of  the  natives  the  expedi 
ency  of  establishing  a  college  of  vestals  to  be  centrally 
located  in  the  valley,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  alive 
the  indispensable  article  of  fire ;  so  as  to  supersede  the 
necessity  of  such  a  vast  outlay  of  strength  and  good 
temper  as  were  usually  squandered  on  these  occasions. 
There  might,  however,  be  special  difficulties  in  carry 
ing  this  plan  into  execution. 

What  a  striking  evidence  does  this  operation  furnish 
of  the  wide  difference  between  the  extreme  of  savage 
and  civilised  life.  A  gentleman  of  Typee  can  bring  up 
a  numerous  family  of  children  and  give  them  all  a 
highly  respectable  cannibal  education,  with  infinitely 
less  toil  and  anxiety  than  he  expends  in  the  simple  pro 
cess  of  striking  a  light ;  whilst  a  poor  European  artisan, 
who  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  lucifer  performs 
the  same  operation  in  one  second,  is  put  to  his  wit's 
end  to  provide  for  his  starving  offspring  that  food 
which  the  children  of  a  Polynesian  father,  without 
troubling  their  parent,  pluck  from  the  branches  of  every 
tree  round  them. 


164  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Kindness  of  Marheyo  and  the  rest  of  the  Islanders  —  A  full  Descrip 
tion  of  the  Bread-fruit  Tree  —  Different  Modes  of  preparing  the 
Fruit. 

ALL  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley  treated  me  with 
great  kindness ;  but  as  to  the  household  of  Marheyo, 
with  whom  I  was  now  permanently  domiciled,  nothing 
could  surpass  their  efforts  to  minister  to  my  comfort. 
To  the  gratification  of  my  palate  they  paid  the  most 
unwearied  attention.  They  continually  invited  me  to 
partake  of  food,  and  when  after  eating  heartily  I 
declined  the  viands  they  continued  to  offer  me,  they 
seemed  to  think  that  my  appetite  stood  in  need  of  some 
piquant  stimulant  to  excite  its  activity. 

In  pursuance  of  this  idea,  old  Marheyo  himself  would 
hie  him  away  to  the  sea-shore  by  the  break  of  day,  for 
the  purpose  of  collecting  various  species  of  rare  sea 
weed  ;  some  of  which  among  these  people  are  considered 
a  great  luxury.  After  a  whole  day  spent  in  this  em 
ployment,  he  would  return  about  nightfall  with  several 
cocoa-nut  shells  filled  with  different  descriptions  of 
kelp.  In  preparing  these  for  use  he  manifested  all  the 
ostentation  of  a  professed  cook,  although  the  chief  mys 
tery  of  the  affair  appeared  to  consist  in  pouring  water 
in  judicious  quantities  upon  the  slimy  contents  of  his 
cocoa-nut  shells. 

The  first  time  he  submitted  one  of  these  saline  salads 
to  my  critical  attention  I  naturally  thought  that  any- 


THE  BREAD-FRUIT  TREE  165 

thing  collected  at  such  pains  must  possess  peculiar 
merits  ;  but  a  mouthful  was  a  complete  dose ;  and  great 
was  the  consternation  of  the  old  warrior  at  the  rapidity 
with  which  I  ejected  his  Epicurean  treat. 

How  true  it  is,  that  the  rarity  of  any  particular 
article  enhances  its  value  amazingly.  In  some  part  of 
the  valley — I  know  not  where,  but  probably  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  sea  —  the  girls  were  sometimes 
in  the  habit  of  procuring  small  quantities  of  salt,  a 
thimbleful  or  so  being  the  result  of  the  united  labours 
of  a  party  of  five  or  six  employed  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  day.  This  precious  commodity  they  brought  to 
the  house,  enveloped  in  multitudinous  folds  of  leaves,- 
and  as  a  special  mark  of  the  esteem  in  which  they  held 
me,  would  spread  an  immense  leaf  on  the  ground,  and 
dropping  one  by  one  a  few  minute  particles  of  the  salt 
upon  it,  invite  me  to  taste  them. 

From  the  extravagant  value  placed  upon  the  article,  I 
verily  believe,  that  with  a  bushel  of  common  Liverpool 
salt  all  the  real  estate  in  Typee  might  have  been  pur 
chased.  With  a  small  pinch  of  it  in  one  hand,  and  a 
quarter  section  of  a  bread-fruit  in  the  other,  the  greatest 
chief  in  the  valley  would  have  laughed  at  all  the  luxu 
ries  of  a  Parisian  table. 

The  celebrity  of  the  bread-fruit  tree,  and  the  conspic 
uous  place  it  occupies  in  a  Typee  bill  of  fare,  induce 
me  to  give  at  some  length  a  general  description  of  the 
tree,  and  the  various  modes  in  which  the  fruit  is  pre 
pared. 

The  bread-fruit  tree,  in  its  glorious  prime,  is  a  grand 
and  towering  object,  forming  the  same  feature  in  a  Mar- 
quesan  landscape  that  the  patriarchal  elm  does  in  New 
England  scenery.  The  latter  tree  it  not  a  little  resem- 


166  TYPEE 

bles  in  height,  in  the  wide  spread  of  its  stalwart 
branches,  and  in  its  venerable  and  imposing  aspect. 

The  leaves  of  the  bread-fruit  tree  are  of  great  size, 
and  their  edges  are  cut  and  scalloped  as  fantastically  as 
those  of  a  lady's  lace  collar.  As  they  annually  tend 
towards  decay,  they  almost  rival  in  the  brilliant  variety 
of  their  gradually  changing  hues  the  fleeting  shades  of 
the  expiring  dolphin.  The  autumnal  tints  of  our 
American  forests,  glorious  as  they  are,  sink  into  nothing 
in  comparison  with  this  tree. 

The  leaf,  in  one  particular  stage,  when  nearly  all  the 
prismatic  colours  are  blended  on  its  surface,  is  often  con 
verted  by  the  natives  into  a  superb  and  striking  head 
dress.  The  principal  fibre  traversing  its  length  being 
split  open  a  convenient  distance,  and  the  elastic  sides  of 
the  aperture  pressed  apart,  the  head  is  inserted  between 
them,  the  leaf  drooping  on  one  side,  with  its  forward 
half  turned  jauntily  up  on  the  brows,  and  the  remaining 
part  spreading  laterally  behind  the  ears. 

The  fruit  somewhat  resembles  in  magnitude  and  gen 
eral  appearance  one  of  our  citron  melons  of  ordinary  size ; 
but,  unlike  the  citron,  it  has  no  sectional  lines  drawn 
along  the  outside.  Its  surface  is  dotted  all  over  with 
little  conical  prominences,  looking  not  unlike  the  knobs 
on  an  antiquated  church  door.  The  rind  is  perhaps  an 
eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness  ;  and  denuded  of  this,  at 
the  time  when  it  is  in  the  greatest  perfection,  the  fruit 
presents  a  beautiful  globe  of  white  pulp,  the  whole  of 
which  may  be  eaten,  with  the  exception  of  a  slender  core, 
which  is  easily  removed. 

The  bread-fruit,  however,  is  never  used,  and  is  indeed 
altogether  unfit  to  be  eaten,  until  submitted  in  one  form 
or  other  to  the  action  of  fire. 


PREP AE ING   THE  BREAD-FRUIT  167 

The  most  simple  manner  in  which  this  operation  is 
performed,  and  I  think,  the  best,  consists  in  placing  any 
number  of  the  freshly  plucked  fruit,  when  in  a  particular 
stage  of  greenness,  among  the  embers  of  a  fire,  in  the 
same  way  that  you  would  roast  a  potato.  After  the  lapse 
of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  the  green  rind  embrowns  and 
cracks,  showing  through  the  fissures  in  its  sides  the  milk- 
white  interior.  As  soon  as  it  cools,  the  rind  drops  off, 
and  you  then  have  the  soft  round  pulp  in  its  purest  and 
most  delicious  state.  Thus  eaten,  it  has  a  mild  and 
pleasing  flavour. 

Sometimes,  after  having  been  roasted  in  the  fire,  the 
natives  snatch  it  briskly  from  the  embers,  and  permitting 
it  to  slip  out  of  the  yielding  rind  into  a  vessel  of  cold 
water,  stir  up  the  mixture,  which  they  call  "  bo-a-sho." 
I  never  could  endure  this  compound,  and  indeed  the 
preparation  is  not  greatly  in  vogue  among  the  more  po 
lite  Typees. 

There  is  one  form,  however,  in  which  the  fruit  is  oc 
casionally  served,  that  renders  it  a  dish  fit  for  a  king. 
As  soon  as  it  is  taken  from  the  fire  the  exterior  is  re 
moved,  the  core  extracted,  and  the  remaining  part  is 
placed  in  a  sort  of  shallow  stone  mortar,  and  briskly 
worked  with  a  pestle  of  the  same  substance.  While  one 
person  is  performing  this  operation,  another  takes  a  ripe 
cocoa-nut,  and  breaking  it  in  half,  which  they  also  do 
very  cleverly,  proceeds  to  grate  the  juicy  meat  into  fine 
particles.  This  is  done  by  means  of  a  piece  of  mother- 
of-pearl  shell,  lashed  firmly  to  the  extreme  end  of  a  heavy 
stick,  with  its  straight  side  accurately  notched  like  a  saw. 
The  stick  is  sometimes  a  grotesquely-formed  limb  of  a 
tree,  with  three  or  four  branches  twisting  from  its  body 
like  so  many  shapeless  legs,  and  sustaining  it  two  or 
three  feet  from  the  ground. 


168  TTPEE 

The  native,  first  placing  a  calabash  beneath  the  nose 
as  it  were,  of  his  curious-looking  log-steed,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  receiving  the  grated  fragments  as  they  fall, 
mounts  astride  of  it  as  if  it  were  a  hobby-horse,  and 
twirling  the  inside  of  one  of  his  hemispheres  of  cocoa-nut 
around  the  sharp  teeth  of  the  mother-of-pearl  shell,  the 
pure  white  meat  falls  in  snowy  showers  into  the  recep 
tacle  provided.  Having  obtained  a  quantity  sufficient 
for  his  purpose,  he  places  it  in  a  bag  made  of  the  net-like 
fibrous  substance  attached  to  all  cocoa-nut  trees,  and 
compressing  it  over  the  bread-fruit,  which  being  now 
sufficiently  pounded,  is  put  into  a  wooden  bowl  —  ex 
tracts  a  thick  creamy  milk.  The  delicious  liquid  soon 
bubbles  round  the  fruit,  and  leaves  it  at  last  just  peep 
ing  above  its  surface. 

This  preparation  is  called  "  kokoo,"  and  a  most 
luscious  preparation  it  is.  The  hobby-horse  and  the 
pestle  and  mortar  were  in  great  requisition  during  the 
time  I  remained  in  the  house  of  Marheyo,  and  Kory- 
Kory  had  frequent  occasion  to  show  his  skill  in  their 
use. 

But  the  great  staple  articles  of  food  into  which 
the  bread-fruit  is  converted  by  these  natives  are  known 
respectively  by  the  names  of  Amar  and  Poee-Poee. 

At  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  when  the  fruit  of  the 
hundred  groves  of  the  valley  has  reached  its  maturity, 
and  hangs  in  golden  spheres  from  every  branch,  the 
islanders  assemble  in  harvest  groups,  and  garner  in 
the  abundance  which  surrounds  them.  The  trees  are 
stripped  of  their  nodding  burdens,  which,  easily  freed 
from  the  rind  and  core,  are  gathered  together  in  capa 
cious  wooden  vessels,  where  the  pulpy  fruit  is  soon 
worked  by  a  stone  pestle,  vigorously  applied,  into  a 


THE  TUTAO  169 

blended  mass  of  a  doughy  consistency,  called  by  the 
natives  "  Tutao."  This  is  then  divided  into  separate 
parcels,  which,  after  being  made  up  into  stout  packages, 
enveloped  in  successive  folds  of  leaves,  and  bound 
round  with  thongs  of  bark,  are  stored  away  in  large  re 
ceptacles  hollowed  in  the  earth,  from  whence  they  are 
drawn  as  occasion  may  require. 

In  this  condition  the  Tutao  sometimes  remains  for 
years,  and  even  is  thought  to  improve  by  age.  Before  it 
is  fit  to  be  eaten,  however,  it  has  to  undergo  an  additional 
process.  A  primitive  oven  is  scooped  in  the  ground, 
and  its  bottom  being  loosely  covered  with  stones,  a 
large  fire  is  kindled  within  it.  As  soon  as  the  requi 
site  degree  of  heat  is  attained,  the  embers  are  re 
moved,  and  the  surface  of  the  stones  being  covered 
with  thick  layers  of  leaves,  one  of  the  larger  packages 
of  Tutao  is  deposited  upon  them,  and  overspread  with 
another  layer  of  leaves.  The  whole  is  then  quickly 
heaped  up  with  earth,  and  forms  a  sloping  mound. 

The  Tutao  thus  baked  is  called  "  Amar; "  the  action 
of  the  oven  having  converted  it  into  an  amber-coloured 
caky  substance,  a  little  tart,  but  not  at  all  disagreeable 
to  the  taste. 

By  another  and  final  process  the  "Amar"  is  changed 
into  "Poee-Poee."  This  transition  is  rapidly  effected. 
The  amar  is  placed  in  a  vessel,  and  mixed  with  water 
until  it  gains  a  proper  pudding-like  consistency,  when, 
without  further  preparation,  it  is  in  readiness  for  use. 
This  is  the  form  in  which  the  "Tutao"  is  generally 
consumed.  The  singular  mode  of  eating  it  I  have 
already  described. 

Were  it  not  that  the  bread-fruit  is  thus  capable  of 
being  preserved  for  a  length  of  time,  the  natives  might 


170  TYPEE 

be  reduced  to  a  state  of  starvation  ;  for  owing  to  some 
unknown  cause  the  trees  sometimes  fail  to  bear  fruit; 
and  on  such  occasions  the  islanders  chiefly  depend  upon 
the  supplies  they  have  been  enabled  to  store  away. 

This  stately  tree,  which  is  rarely  met  with  upon  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  at  Tahiti  does  not  abound  to  a 
degree  that  renders  its  fruit  the  principal  article  of 
food,  attains  its  greatest  excellence  in  the  genial  cli 
mate  of  the  Marquesan  group,  where  it  grows  to  an 
enormous  magnitude,  and  nourishes  in  the  utmost 
abundance. 


MELANCHOLY  CONDITION  171 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Melancholy  Condition  —  Occurrence  at  the  Ti  —  Anecdote  of  Mar- 
heyo  —  Shaving  the  Head  of  a  Warrior. 

IN  looking  back  to  this  period,  and  calling  to  re 
membrance  the  numberless  proofs  of  kindness  and 
respect  which  I  received  from  the  natives  of  the  valley, 
I  can  scarcely  understand  how  it  was  that,  in  the  midst 
of  so  many  consolatory  circumstances,  my  mind  should 
still  have  been  consumed  by  the  most  dismal  forebod 
ings,  and  have  remained  a  prey  to  the  profoundest  mel 
ancholy.  It  is  true  that  the  suspicious  circumstances 
which  had  attended  the  disappearance  of  Toby  were 
enough  of  themselves  to  excite  distrust  with  regard  to 
the  savages,  in  whose  power  I  felt  myself  to  be  entirely 
placed,  especially  when  it  was  combined  with  the 
knowledge  that  these  very  men,  kind  and  respectful  as 
they  were  to  me,  were,  after  all,  nothing  better  than  a 
set  of  cannibals. 

But  my  chief  source  of  anxiety,  and  that  which 
poisoned  every  temporary  enjoyment,  was  the  mysteri 
ous  disease  in  my  leg,  which  still  remained  unabated. 
All  the  herbal  applications  of  Tinor,  united  with  the 
severer  discipline  of  the  old  leech,  and  the  affectionate 
nursing  of  Kory-Kory,  had  failed  to  relieve  me.  I  was 
almost  a  cripple,  and  the  pain  I  endured  at  intervals 
was  agonising.  The  unaccountable  malady  showed  no 
signs  of  amendment;  on  the  contrary,  its  violence  in 
creased  day  by  day,  and  threatened  the  most  fatal  re- 


172  TYPES 

suits,  unless  some  powerful  means  were  employed  to 
counteract  it.  It  seemed  as  if  I  were  destined  to  sink 
under  this  grievous  affliction,  or  at  least  that  it  would 
hinder  me  from  availing  myself  of  any  opportunity  of 
escaping  from  the  valley. 

An  incident  which  occurred  as  nearly  as  I  can  esti 
mate  about  three  weeks  after  the  disappearance  of 
Toby,  convinced  me  that  the  natives,  from  some  reason 
or  other,  would  interpose  every  possible  obstacle  to  my 
leaving  them. 

One  morning  there  was  no  little  excitement  evinced 
by  the  people  near  my  abode,  and  which  I  soon  dis 
covered  proceeded  from  a  vague  report  that  boats  had 
been  seen  at  a  great  distance  approaching  the  bay. 
Immediately  all  was  bustle  and  animation.  It  so  hap 
pened  that  day  that  the  pain  I  suffered  having  some 
what  abated,  and  feeling  in  much  better  spirits  than 
usual,  I  had  complied  with  Kory-Kory's  invitation  to 
visit  the  chief  Mehevi  at  the  place  called  the  "Ti," 
which  I  have  before  described  as  being  situated  within 
the  precincts  of  the  Taboo  Groves.  These  sacred  re 
cesses  were  at  no  great  distance  from  Marheyo's  habita 
tion,  and  lay  between  it  and  the  sea;  the  path  that 
conducted  to  the  beach  passing  directly  in  front  of  the 
Ti,  and  thence  skirting  along  the  border  of  the  groves. 

I  was  reposing  upon  the  mats,  within  the  sacred  build 
ing,  in  company  with  Mehevi  and  several  other  chiefs, 
when  the  announcement  was  first  made.  It  sent  a  thrill 
of  joy  through  my  whole  frame ;  —  perhaps  Toby  was 
about  to  return.  I  rose  at  once  to  my  feet,  and  my 
instinctive  impulse  was  to  hurry  down  to  the  beach, 
equally  regardless  of  the  distance  that  separated  me 
from  it,  and  of  my  disabled  condition.  As  soon  as 


A  CAPTIVE  IN  THE  VALLEY  173 

Mehevi  noticed  the  effect  the  intelligence  had  produced 
upon  me,  and  the  impatience  I  betrayed  to  reach  the 
sea,  his  countenance  assumed  that  inflexible  rigidity 
of  expression  which  had  so  awed  me  on  the  afternoon 
of  our  arrival  at  the  house  of  Marheyo.  As  I  was  pro 
ceeding  to  leave  the  Ti,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  my 
shoulder,  and  said  gravely,  "abo,  abo"  (wait,  wait). 
Solely  intent  upon  the  one  thought  that  occupied  my 
mind,  and  heedless  of  his  request,  I  was  brushing  past 
him,  when  suddenly  he  assumed  a  tone  of  authority, 
and  told  me  to  "moee"  (sit  down).  Though  struck  by 
the  alteration  of  his  demeanour,  the  excitement  under 
which  I  laboured  was  too  strong  to  permit  me  to  obey 
the  unexpected  command,  and  I  was  still  limping 
towards  the  edge  of  the  pi-pi  with  Kory-Kory  clinging 
to  one  arm  in  his  efforts  to  restrain  me,  when  the  natives 
around  starting  to  their  feet,  ranged  themselves  along 
the  open  front  of  the  building,  while  Mehevi  looked  at 
me  scowlingly,  and  reiterated  his  commands  still  more 
sternly. 

It  was  at  this  moment,  when  fifty  savage  counte 
nances  were  glaring  upon  me,  that  I  first  truly  experi 
enced  I  was  indeed  a  captive  in  the  valley.  The 
conviction  rushed  upon  me  with  staggering  force,  and 
I  was  overwhelmed  by  this  confirmation  of  my  worst 
fears.  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was  useless  for  me  to  resist, 
and  sick  at  heart,  I  reseated  myself  upon  the  mats,  and 
for  the  moment  abandoned  myself  to  despair. 

I  now  perceived  the  natives  one  after  the  other  hurry 
ing  past  the  Ti  and  pursuing  the  route  that  conducted 
to  the  sea.  These  savages,  thought  I,  will  soon  be 
holding  communication  with  some  of  my  own  country 
men  perhaps,  who  with  ease  could  restore  me  to  liberty 


174  TTPEE 

did  they  know  of  the  situation  I  was  in.  No  language 
can  describe  the  wretchedness  which  I  felt;  and  in  the 
bitterness  of  my  soul  I  imprecated  a  thousand  curses  on 
the  perfidious  Toby,  who  had  thus  abandoned  me  to 
destruction.  It  was  in  vain  that  Kory-Kory  tempted 
me  with  food,  or  lighted  my  pipe,  or  sought  to  attract 
my  attention  by  performing  the  uncouth  antics  that 
had  sometimes  diverted  me.  I  was  fairly  knocked 
down  by  this  last  misfortune,  which,  much  as  I  had 
feared  it,  I  had  never  before  had  the  courage  calmly  to 
contemplate. 

Regardless  of  everything  but  my  own  sorrow,  I  re 
mained  in  the  Ti  for  several  hours,  until  shouts  pro 
ceeding  at  intervals  from  the  groves  beyond  the  house 
proclaimed  the  return  of  the  natives  from  the  beach. 

Whether  any  boats  visited  the  bay  that  morning  or 
not,  I  never  could  ascertain.  The  savages  assured  me 
that  there  had  not  —  but  I  was  inclined  to  believe  that 
by  deceiving  me  in  this  particular  they  sought  to  allay 
the  violence  of  my  grief.  However  that  might  be,  this 
incident  showed  plainly  that  the  Typees  intended  to 
hold  me  a  prisoner.  As  they  still  treated  me  with  the 
same  sedulous  attention  as  before,  I  was  utterly  at  a  loss 
how  to  account  for  their  singular  conduct.  Had  I  been 
in  a  situation  to  instruct  them  in  any  of  the  rudiments 
of  the  mechanic  arts,  or  had  I  manifested  a  disposition 
to  render  myself  in  any  way  useful  among  them,  their 
conduct  might  have  been  attributed  to  some  adequate 
motive,  but  as  it  was  the  matter  seemed  to  me  inexpli 
cable. 

During  my  whole  stay  on  the  island  there  occurred 
but  two  or  three  instances  where  the  natives  applied  to 
me  with  the  view  of  availing  themselves  of  my  superior 


SECURING   THE  TREASURE  175 

information.  And  these  now  appear  so  ludicrous  that 
I  cannot  forbear  relating  them. 

The  few  things  we  had  brought  from  Nukuheva  had 
been  done  up  into  a  small  bundle  which  we  had  carried 
with  us  in  our  descent  to  the  valley.  This  bundle, 
the  first  night  of  our  arrival,  I  had  used  as  a  pillow, 
but  on  the  succeeding  morning,  opening  it  for  the 
inspection  of  the  natives,  they  gazed  upon  the  miscel 
laneous  contents  as  though  I  had  just  revealed  to  them 
a  casket  of  diamonds,  and  they  insisted  that  so  precious 
a  treasure  should  be  properly  secured.  A  line  was 
accordingly  attached  to  it,  and  the  other  end  being 
passed  over  the  ridgepole  of  the  house,  it  was  hoisted 
up  to  the  apex  of  the  roof,  where  it  hung  suspended 
directly  over  the  mats  where  I  usually  reclined.  When 
I  desired  anything  from  it  I  merely  raised  my  finger  to 
a  bamboo  beside  me,  and  taking  hold  of  the  string 
which  was  there  fastened,  lowered  the  package.  This 
was  exceedingly  handy,  and  I  took  care  to  let  the 
natives  understand  how  much  I  applauded  the  inven 
tion.  Of  this  package  the  chief  contents  were  a  razor 
with  its  case,  a  supply  of  needles  and  thread,  a  pound 
or  two  of  tobacco,  and  a  few  yards  of  a  bright-coloured 
calico. 

I  should  have  mentioned  that  shortly  after  Toby's 
disappearance,  perceiving  the  uncertainty  of  the  time  I 
might  be  obliged  to  remain  in  the  valley  —  if,  indeed, 
I  ever  should  escape  from  it  —  and  considering  that  my 
whole  wardrobe  consisted  of  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of 
trousers,  I  resolved  to  doff  these  garments  at  once,  in 
order  to  preserve  them  in  a  suitable  condition  for  wear 
should  I  again  appear  among  civilised  beings.  I  was 
consequently  obliged  to  assume  the  Typee  costume,  a 


176  TTPEE 

little  altered,  however,  to  suit  my  own  views  of  pro 
priety,  and  in  which  I  have  no  doubt  I  appeared  to  as 
much  advantage  as  a  senator  of  Rome  enveloped  in  the 
folds  of  his  toga.  A  few  folds  of  yellow  tappa  tucked 
about  my  waist,  descended  to  my  feet  in  the  style  of  a 
lady's  petticoat,  only  I  did  not  have  recourse  to  those 
voluminous  paddings  in  the  rear  with  which  our  gentle 
dames  are  in  the  habit  of  augmenting  the  sublime 
rotundity  of  their  figures.  This  usually  comprised  my 
in-door  dress :  whenever  I  walked  out,  I  superadded  to 
it  an  ample  robe  of  the  same  material,  which  completely 
enveloped  my  person,  and  screened  it  from  the  rays  of 
the  sun. 

One  morning  I  made  a  rent  in  this  mantle ;  and  to 
show  the  islanders  with  what  facility  it  could  be  re 
paired,  I  lowered  my  bundle,  and  taking  from  it  a 
needle  and  thread,  proceeded  to  stitch  up  the  opening. 
They  regarded  this  wonderful  application  of  science 
with  intense  admiration;  and  whilst  I  was  stitching 
away,  old  Marheyo,  who  was  one  of  the  lookers-on, 
suddenly  clapped  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  and  rushing 
to  a  corner  of  the  house,  drew  forth  a  soiled  and  tat 
tered  strip  of  faded  calico  —  which  he  must  have  pro 
cured  some  time  or  other  in  traffic  on  the  beach  —  and 
besought  me  eagerly  to  exercise  a  little  of  my  art  upon 
it.  I  willingly  complied,  though  certainly  so  stumpy 
a  needle  as  mine  never  took  such  gigantic  strides  over 
calico  before.  The  repairs  completed,  old  Marheyo 
gave  me  a  paternal  hug ;  and  divesting  himself  of  his 
"maro"  (girdle),  swathed  the  calico  about  his  loins, 
and  slipping  the  beloved  ornaments  into  his  ears, 
grasped  his  spear  and  sallied  out  of  the  house,  like  a 
valiant  Templar  arrayed  in  a  new  and  costly  suit  of 
armour. 


SHAVING  A  CHIEF'S  HEAD  111 

I  never  used  my  razor  during  my  stay  in  the  island, 
but,  although  a  very  subordinate  affair,  it  had  been 
vastly  admired  by  the  Typees ;  and  Narmonee,  a  great 
hero  among  them,  who  was  exceedingly  precise  in  the 
arrangements  of  his  toilet  and  the  general  adjustment 
of  his  person,  being  the  most  accurately  tattooed  and 
laboriously  horrified  individual  in  all  the  valley, 
thought  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  have  it  applied 
to  the  already  shaven  crown  of  his  head. 

The  implement  they  usually  employ  is  a  shark's  tooth, 
which  is  about  as  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  as  a  one- 
pronged  fork  for  pitching  hay.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
the  acute  Narmonee  perceived  the  advantage  my  razor 
possessed  over  the  usual  implement.  Accordingly,  one 
day  he  requested  as  a  personal  favour  that  I  would  just 
run  over  his  head  with  the  razor.  In  reply,  I  gave  him 
to  understand  that  it  was  too  dull,  and  could  not  be 
used  to  any  purpose  without  being  previously  sharp 
ened.  To  assist  my  meaning,  I  went  through  an  im 
aginary  honing  process  on  the  palm  of  my  hand. 
Narmonee  took  my  meaning  in  an  instant,  and  running 
out  of  the  house,  returned  the  next  moment  with  a 
huge  rough  mass  of  rock  as  big  as  a  milestone,  and 
indicated  to  me  that  that  was  exactly  the  thing  I 
wanted.  Of  course  there  was  nothing  left  for  me  but 
to  proceed  to  business,  and  I  began  scraping  away  at  a 
great  rate.  He  writhed  and  wriggled  under  the  in 
fliction,  but,  fully  convinced  of  my  skill,  endured  the 
pain  like  a  martyr. 

Though  I  never  saw  Narmonee  in  battle,  I  will,  from 
what  I  then  observed,  stake  my  life  upon  his  courage 
and  fortitude.  Before  commencing  operations,  his 
head  had  presented  a  surface  of  short  bristling  hairs, 


178  TYPES 

and  by  the  time  I  had  concluded  my  unskilful  opera- 
tion  it  resembled  not  a  little  a  stubble  field  after  being 
gone  over  with  a  harrow.  However,  as  the  chief  ex 
pressed  the  liveliest  satisfaction  at  the  result,  I  was  too 
wise  to  dissent  from  his  opinion. 


IMPROVEMENT  IN  HEALTH  AND  SPIRITS      179 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Improvement  in  Health  and  Spirits  —  Felicity  of  the  Typees  — Their 
Enjoyments  compared  with  those  of  more  enlightened  Communi 
ties  —  Comparative  Wickedness  of  civilised  and  unenlightened 
People  —  A  Skirmish  in  the  Mountain  with  the  Warriors  of  Happar. 

DAY  after  day  wore  on,  and  still  there  was  no  per 
ceptible  change  in  the  conduct  of  the  islanders  towards 
me.  Gradually  I  lost  all  knowledge  of  the  regular 
occurrence  of  the  days  of  the  week,  and  sunk  insensibly 
into  that  kind  of  apathy  which  ensues  after  some  vio 
lent  outbreak  of  despair.  My  limb  suddenly  healed, 
the  swelling  went  down,  the  pain  subsided,  and  I  had 
every  reason  to  suppose  I  should  soon  completely  recover 
from  the  affliction  that  had  so  long  tormented  me. 

As  soon  as  I  was  enabled  to  ramble  about  the  valley 
in  company  with  the  natives,  troops  of  whom  followed 
me  whenever  I  sallied  out  of  the  house,  I  began  to  ex 
perience  an  elasticity  of  mind  which  placed  me  beyond 
the  reach  of  those  dismal  forebodings  to  which  I  had 
so  lately  been  a  prey.  Received  wherever  I  went 
with  the  most  deferential  kindness ;  regaled  perpetually 
with  the  most  delightful  fruits ;  ministered  to  by  dark- 
eyed  nymphs;  and  enjoying  besides  all  the  services  of 
the  devoted  Kory-Kory,  I  thought  that  for  a  sojourn 
among  cannibals,  no  man  could  have  well  made  a  more 
agreeable  one. 

To  be  sure  there  were  limits  set  to  my  wanderings. 
Toward  the  sea  my  progress  was  barred  by  an  express 


180  TYPES 

prohibition  of  the  savages ;  and  after  having  made  two 
or  three  ineffectual  attempts  to  reach  it,  as  much  to 
gratify  my  curiosity  as  anything  else,  I  gave  up  the  idea. 
It  was  in  vain  to  think  of  reaching  it  by  stealth,  since 
the  natives  escorted  me  in  numbers  wherever  I  went, 
and  not  for  one  single  moment  that  I  can  recall  to  mind 
was  I  ever  permitted  to  be  alone. 

The  green  and  precipitous  elevations  that  stood 
ranged  around  the  head  of  the  vale  where  Marheyo's 
habitation  was  situated  effectually  precluded  all  hope 
of  escape  in  that  quarter,  even  if  I  could  have  stolen 
away  from  the  thousand  eyes  of  the  savages. 

But  these  reflections  now  seldom  obtruded  upon  me  ; 
I  gave  myself  up  to  the  passing  hour,  and  if  ever  disa 
greeable  thoughts  arose  in  my  mind,  I  drove  them 
away.  When  I  looked  around  the  verdant  recess  in 
which  I  was  buried,  and  gazed  up  to  the  summits  of  the 
lofty  eminence  that  hemmed  me  in,  I  was  well  disposed 
to  think  that  I  was  in  the  "  Happy  Valley,"  and  that  be 
yond  those  heights  there  was  nought  but  a  world  of  care 
and  anxiety. 

As  I  extended  my  wanderings  in  the  valley  and  grew 
more  familiar  with  the  habits  of  its  inmates,  I  was  fain 
to  confess  that,  despite  the  disadvantages  of  his  condi 
tion,  the  Polynesian  savage,  surrounded  by  all  the  lux 
urious  provisions  of  nature,  enjoyed  an  infinitely  hap 
pier,  though  certainly  a  less  intellectual  existence,  than 
the  self-complacent  European. 

The  naked  wretch  who  shivers  beneath  the  bleak 
skies,  and  starves  among  the  inhospitable  wilds  of 
Terra-del-Fuego,  might  indeed  be  made  happier  by  civi 
lization,  for  it  would  alleviate  his  physical  wants.  But 
the  voluptuous  Indian,  with  every  desire  supplied,  whom 


THE  FRUITS  OF  ENLIGHTENMENT  181 

Providence  has  bountifully  provided  with  all  the  sources 
of  pure  and  natural  enjoyment,  and  from  whom  are  re 
moved  so  many  of  the  ills  and  pains  of  life  —  what  has 
he  to  desire  at  the  hands  of  Civilisation?  She  may 
"  cultivate  his  mind,"  —  may  "  elevate  his  thoughts,"  — 
these  I  believe  are  the  established  phrases  —  but  will 
he  be  the  happier  ?  Let  the  once  smiling  and  populous 
Hawaiian  islands,  with  their  now  diseased,  starving,  and 
dying  natives,  answer  the  question.  The  missionaries 
may  seek  to  disguise  the  matter  as  they  will,  but  the 
facts  are  incontrovertible ;  and  the  devoutest  Christian 
who  visits  that  group  with  an  unbiased  mind,  must  go 
away  mournfully  asking  —  "  Are  these,  alas  !  the  fruits 
of  twenty-five  years  of  enlightening  ?  " 

In  a  primitive  state  of  society,  the  enjoyments  of  life, 
though  few  and  simple,  are  spread  over  a  great  extent, 
and  are  unalloyed ;  but  Civilisation,  for  every  advan 
tage  she  imparts,  holds  a  hundred  evils  in  reserve ;  — 
the  heart-burnings,  the  jealousies,  the  social  rivalries, 
the  family  dissensions,  and  the  thousand  self-inflicted 
discomforts  of  refined  life,  which  make  up  in  units  the 
swelling  aggregate  of  human  misery,  are  unknown 
among  these  unsophisticated  people. 

But  it  will  be  urged  that  these  shocking,  unprincipled 
wretches  are  cannibals.  Very  true ;  and  a  rather  bad 
trait  in  their  character  it  must  be  allowed.  But  they 
are  such  only  when  they  seek  to  gratify  the  passion  of 
revenge  upon  their  enemies ;  and  I  ask  whether  the 
mere  eating  of  human  flesh  so  very  far  exceeds  in  bar 
barity  that  custom  which  only  a  few  years  since  was 
practised  in  enlightened  England :  —  a  convicted  trai 
tor,  perhaps  a  man  found  guilty  of  honesty,  patriotism, 
and  suchlike  heinous  crimes,  had  his  head  lopped  off 


182  TTPEE 

with  a  huge  axe,  his  bowels  dragged  out  and  thrown  into 
a  fire ;  while  his  body,  carved  into  four  quarters,  was 
with  his  head  exposed  upon  pikes,  and  permitted  to  rot 
and  fester  among  the  public  haunts  of  men  ! 

The  fiend-like  skill  we  display  in  the  invention  of  all 
manner  of  death-dealing  engines,  the  vindictiveness 
with  which  we  carry  on  our  wars,  and  the  misery  and 
desolation  that  follow  in  their  train,  are  enough  of 
themselves  to  distinguish  the  white  civilised  man  as  the 
most  ferocious  animal  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

His  remorseless  cruelty  is  seen  in  many  of  the  insti 
tutions  of  our  own  favoured  land.  There  is  one  in  par 
ticular  lately  adopted  in  one  of  the  States  of  the  Union, 
which  purports  to  have  been  dictated  by  the  most  mer 
ciful  considerations.  To  destroy  our  malefactors  piece 
meal,  drying  up  in  their  veins,  drop  by  drop,  the  blood 
we  are  too  chicken-hearted  to  shed  by  a  single  blow 
which  would  at  once  put  a  period  to  their  sufferings,  is 
deemed  to  be  infinitely  preferable  to  the  old-fashioned 
punishment  of  gibbeting  —  much  less  annoying  to  the 
victim,  and  more  in  accordance  with  the  refined  spirit 
of  the  age ;  and  yet  how  feeble  is  all  language  to  de 
scribe  the  horrors  we  inflict  upon  these  wretches,  whom 
we  mason  up  in  the  cells  of  our  prisons,  and  condemn 
to  perpetual  solitude  in  the  very  heart  of  our  popula 
tion. 

But  it  is  needless  to  multiply  the  examples  of  civil 
ised  barbarity ;  they  far  exceed  in  the  amount  of  mis 
ery  they  cause  the  crimes  which  we  regard  with  such 
abhorrence  in  our  less  enlightened  fellow-creatures. 

The  term  "  Savage  "  is,  I  conceive,  often  misapplied, 
and  indeed  when  I  consider  the  vices,  cruelties,  and 
enormities  of  every  kind  that  spring  up  in  the  tainted 


THE  HILARITY  OF  THE  ISLANDERS  183 

atmosphere  of  a  feverish  civilisation,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  so  far  as  the  relative  wickedness  of  the  parties 
is  concerned,  four  or  five  Marquesan  Islanders  sent  to 
the  United  States  as  missionaries  might  be  quite  as  use 
ful  as  an  equal  number  of  Americans  dispatched  to  the 
Islands  in  a  similar  capacity. 

I  once  heard  it  given  as  an  instance  of  the  frightful 
depravity  of  a  certain  tribe  in  the  Pacific,  that  they  had 
no  word  in  their  language  to  express  the  idea  of  virtue. 
The  assertion  was  unfounded ;  but  were  it  otherwise,  it 
might  be  met  by  stating  that  their  language  is  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  terms  to  express  the  delightful 
ideas  conveyed  by  our  endless  catalogue  of  civilised 
crimes. 

In  the  altered  frame  of  mind  to  which  I  have  referred, 
every  object  that  presented  itself  to  my  notice  in  the 
valley  struck  me  in  a  new  light,  and  the  opportunities 
I  now  enjoyed  of  observing  the  manners  of  its  inmates 
tended  to  strengthen  my  favourable  impressions.  One 
peculiarity  that  fixed  my  admiration  was  the  perpetual 
hilarity  reigning  through  the  whole  extent  of  the  vale. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  cares,  griefs,  troubles,  or  vexa 
tions,  in  all  Typee.  The  hours  tripped  along  as  gayly 
as  the  laughing  couples  down  a  country  dance. 

There  were  none  of  those  thousand  sources  of  irrita 
tion  that  the  ingenuity  of  civilised  man  has  created  to 
mar  his  own  felicity.  There  were  no  foreclosures  of 
mortgages,  no  protested  notes,  no  bills  payable,  no 
debts  of  honour  in  Typee  ;  no  unreasonable  tailors  and 
shoemakers,  perversely  bent  on  being  paid ;  no  duns  of 
any  description ;  no  assault  and  battery  attorneys,  to 
foment  discord,  backing  their  clients  up  to  a  quarrel, 
and  then  knocking  their  heads  together ;  no  poor  rela- 


184  TYPES 

tions,  everlastingly  occupying  the  spare  bed-chamber, 
and  diminishing  the  elbow-room  at  the  family  table ; 
no  destitute  widows  with  their  children  starving  on  the 
cold  charities  of  the  world ;  no  beggars ;  no  debtors' 
prisons ;  no  proud  and  hard-hearted  nabobs  in  Typee ; 
or  to  sum  up  all  in  one  word  —  no  Money  !  "  "  That 
root  of  all  evil "  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  valley. 

In  this  secluded  abode  of  happiness  there  were  no 
cross  old  women,  no  cruel  step-dames,  no  withered 
spinsters,  no  love-sick  maidens,  no  sour  old  bachelors, 
no  inattentive  husbands,  no  melancholy  young  men,  no 
blubbering  youngsters,  and  no  squalling  brats.  All 
was  mirth,  fun,  and  high  good  humour.  Blue  devils, 
hypochondria,  and  doleful  dumps  went  and  hid  them 
selves  among  the  nooks  and  crannies  of  the  rocks. 

Here  you  would  see  a  parcel  of  children  frolicking 
together  the  live-long  day,  and  no  quarrelling,  no  con 
tention,  among  them.  The  same  number  in  our  own 
land  could  not  have  played  together  for  the  space  of 
an  hour  without  biting  or  scratching  one  another. 
There  you  might  have  seen  a  throng  of  young  females, 
not  filled  with  envyings  of  each  other's  charms,  nor 
displaying  the  ridiculous  affectations  of  gentility,  nor 
yet  moving  in  whalebone  corsets,  like  so  many  au 
tomatons,  but  free,  inartificially  happy,  and  uncon 
strained. 

There  were  some  spots  in  that  sunny  vale  where  they 
would  frequently  resort  to  decorate  themselves  with 
garlands  of  flowers.  To  have  seen  them  reclining  be 
neath  the  shadows  of  one  of  the  beautiful  groves ;  the 
ground  about  them  strewn  with  freshly  gathered  buds 
and  blossoms,  employed  in  weaving  chaplets  and  neck 
laces,  one  would  have  thought  that  all  the  train  of  Flora 


CONTINUAL  HAPPINESS  185 

had  gathered  together  to  keep  a  festival  in  honour  of 
their  mistress. 

With  the  young  men  there  seemed  almost  always 
some  matter  of  diversion  or  business  on  hand  that 
afforded  a  constant  variety  of  enjoyment.  But  whether 
fishing,  or  carving  canoes,  or  polishing  their  ornaments, 
never  was  there  exhibited  the  least  sign  of  strife  or  con 
tention  among  them. 

As  for  the  warriors,  they  maintained  a  tranquil  dignity 
of  demeanour,  journeying  occasionally  from  house  to 
house,  where  they  were  always  sure  to  be  received  with 
the  attention  bestowed  upon  distinguished  guests.  The 
old  men,  of  whom  there  were  many  in  the  vale,  seldom 
stirred  from  their  mats,  where  they  would  recline  for 
hours  and  hours,  smoking  and  talking  to  one  another 
with  all  the  garrulity  of  age. 

But  the  continual  happiness,  which  so  far  as  I  was 
able  to  judge  appeared  to  prevail  in  the  valley,  sprung 
principally  from  that  all-pervading  sensation  which 
Rousseau  has  told  us  he  at  one  time  experienced,  the 
mere  buoyant  sense  of  a  healthful  physical  existence. 
And  indeed  in  this  particular  the  Typees  had  ample 
reason  to  felicitate  themselves,  for  sickness  was  almost 
unknown.  During  the  whole  period  of  my  stay  I  saw 
but  one  invalid  among  them  ;  and  on  their  smooth  clear 
skins  you  observed  no  blemish  or  mark  of  disease. 

The  general  repose,  however,  upon  which  I  have  just 
been  descanting,  was  broken  in  upon  about  this  time  by 
an  event  which  proved  that  the  islanders  were  not 
entirely  exempt  from  those  occurrences  which  disturb 
the  quiet  of  more  civilised  communities. 

Having  now  been  a  considerable  time  in  the  valley,  I 
began  to  feel  surprised  that  the  violent  hostility  subsist- 


186  TTPEE 

ing  between  its  inhabitants  and  those  of  the  adjoining 
bay  of  Happar  should  never  have  manifested  itself  in 
any  warlike  encounter.  Although  the  valiant  Typees 
would  often  by  gesticulations  declare  their  undying 
hatred  against  their  enemies,  and  the  disgust  they  felt 
at  their  cannibal  propensities ;  although  they  dilated 
upon  the  manifold  injuries  they  had  received  at  their 
hands,  yet  with  a  forbearance  truly  commendable,  they 
appeared  patiently  to  sit  down  under  their  grievances, 
and  to  refrain  from  making  any  reprisals.  The  Hap- 
pars,  entrenched  behind  their  mountains,  and  never  even 
showing  themselves  on  their  summits,  did  not  appear  to 
me  to  furnish  adequate  cause  for  that  excess  of  animos 
ity  evinced  toward  them  by  the  heroic  tenants  of  our 
vale,  and  I  was  inclined  to  believe  that  the  deeds  of 
blood  attributed  to  them  had  been  greatly  exaggerated. 

On  the  other  hand,  as  the  clamours  of  war  had  not 
up  to  this  period  disturbed  the  serenity  of  the  tribe,  I 
began  to  distrust  the  truth  of  those  reports  which 
ascribed  so  fierce  and  belligerent  a  character  to  the 
Typee  nation.  Surely,  thought  I,  all  these  terrible 
stories  I  have  heard  about  the  inveteracy  with  which 
they  carried  on  the  feud,  their  deadly  intensity  of  ha 
tred,  and  the  diabolical  malice  with  which  they  glutted 
their  revenge  upon  the  inanimate  forms  of  the  slain,  are 
nothing  more  than  fables,  and  I  must  confess  that  I 
experienced  something  like  a  sense  of  regret  at  having 
my  hideous  anticipations  thus  disappointed.  I  felt  in 
some  sort  like  a  'prentice-boy  who,  going  to  the  play  in 
the  expectation  of  being  delighted  with  a  cut-and-thrust 
tragedy,  is  almost  moved  to  tears  of  disappointment  at 
the  exhibition  of  a  genteel  comedy. 

I  could  not  avoid  thinking  that  I  had  fallen  in  with 


A   TREMENDOUS  OUTCRY  187 

a  greatly  traduced  people,  and  I  moralised  not  a  little 
upon  the  disadvantage  of  having  a  bad  name,  which  in 
this  instance  had  given  a  tribe  of  savages,  who  were  as 
pacific  as  so  many  lambkins,  the  reputation  of  a  confed 
eracy  of  giant-killers. 

But  subsequent  events  proved  that  I  had  been  a  little 
too  premature  in  coming  to  this  conclusion.  One  day 
about  noon,  happening  to  be  at  the  Ti,  I  had  lain  down 
on  the  mats  with  several  of  the  chiefs,  and  had  grad 
ually  sunk  into  a  most  luxurious  siesta,  when  I  was 
awakened  by  a  tremendous  outcry,  and  starting  up  be 
held  the  natives  seizing  their  spears  and  hurrying  out, 
while  the  most  puissant  of  the  chiefs,  grasping  the  six 
muskets  which  were  ranged  against  the  bamboos,  fol 
lowed  after,  and  soon  disappeared  in  the  groves.  These 
movements  were  accompanied  by  wild  shouts,  in  which 
"  Happar,  Happar,"  greatly  predominated.  The  island 
ers  were  now  to  be  seen  running  past  the  Ti,  and  strik 
ing  across  the  valley  to  the  Happar  side.  Presently  I 
heard  the  sharp  report  of  a  musket  from  the  adjoining 
hills,  and  then  a  burst  of  voices  in  the  same  direction. 
At  this  the  women,  who  had  congregated  in  the  groves, 
set  up  the  most  violent  clamours,  as  they  invariably  do 
here  as  elsewhere  on  every  occasion  of  excitement  and 
alarm,  with  a  view  of  tranquillizing  their  own  minds  and 
disturbing  other  people.  On  this  particular  occasion  they 
made  such  an  outrageous  noise,  and  continued  it  with 
such  perseverance,  that  for  a  while,  had  entire  volleys  of 
musketry  been  fired  off  in  the  neighbouring  mountains, 
I  should  not  have  been  able  to  have  heard  them. 

When  this  female  commotion  had  a  little  subsided  I 
listened  eagerly  for  further  information.  At  last  bang 
went  another  shot,  and  then  a  second  volley  of  yells 


188  TYPEE 

from  the  hills.  Again  all  was  quiet,  and  continued  so 
for  such  a  length  of  time  that  I  began  to  think  the  con 
tending  armies  had  agreed  upon  a  suspension  of  hostil 
ities  ;  when  pop  went  a  third  gun,  followed  as  before 
with  a  yell.  After  this,  for  nearly  two  hours  nothing 
occurred  worthy  of  comment,  save  some  straggling 
shouts  from  the  hill-side,  sounding  like  the  halloos  of 
a  parcel  of  truant  boys  who  had  lost  themselves  in  the 
woods. 

During  this  interval  I  had  remained  standing  on  the 
piazza  of  the  "Ti,"  which  directly  fronted  the  Happar 
mountain,  and  with  no  one  near  me  but  Kory-Kory  and 
the  old  superannuated  savages  I  have  before  described. 
These  latter  never  stirred  from  their  mats,  and  seemed 
altogether  unconscious  that  anything  unusual  was  going 
on. 

As  for  Kory-Kory,  he  appeared  to  think  that  we  were 
in  the  midst  of  great  events,  and  sought  most  zealously 
to  impress  me  with  a  due  sense  of  their  importance. 
Every  sound  that  reached  us  conveyed  some  momentous 
item  of  intelligence  to  him.  At  such  times,  as  if  he 
were  gifted  with  second  sight,  he  would  go  through  a 
variety  of  pantomimic  illustrations,  showing  me  the 
precise  manner  in  which  the  redoubtable  Typees  were 
at  that  very  moment  chastising  the  insolence  of  the 
enemy.  "  Mehevi  hanna  pippee  nuee  Happar,"  he  ex 
claimed  every  five  minutes,  giving  me  to  understand 
that  under  that  distinguished  captain  the  warriors  of 
his  nation  were  performing  prodigies  of  valour. 

Having  heard  only  four  reports  from  the  muskets,  I 
was  led  to  believe  that  they  were  worked  by  the  island 
ers  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Sultan  Solyman's  pon- 
derous  artillery  at  the  siege  of  Byzantium,  one  of  them 


A   VICTORY  FOR   THE  ISLANDERS  189 

taking  an  hour  or  two  to  load  and  train.  At  last,  no 
sound  whatever  proceeding  from  the  mountains,  I  con 
cluded  that  the  contest  had  been  determined  one  way  or 
the  other.  Such  appeared,  indeed,  to  be  the  case,  for 
in  a  little  while  a  courier  arrived  at  the  "  Ti,"  almost 
breathless  with  his  exertions,  and  communicated  the 
news  of  a  great  victory  having  been  achieved  by  his 
countrymen :  "  Happar  poo  arva !  —  Happar  poo  arva  !  *f 
(the  cowards  had  fled).  Kory-Kory  was  in  ecstasies' 
and  commenced  a  vehement  harangue,  which,  so  far  as 
I  understood  it,  implied  that  the  result  exactly  agreed 
with  his  expectations,  and  which,  moreover,  was  in 
tended  to  convince  me  that  it  would  be  a  perfectly 
useless  undertaking,  even  for  an  army  of  fire-eaters,  to 
offer  battle  to  the  irresistible  heroes  of  our  valley.  In 
all  this  I  of  course  acquiesced,  and  looked  forward  with 
no  little  interest  to  the  return  of  the  conquerors,  whose 
victory  I  feared  might  not  have  been  purchased  without 
cost  to  themselves. 

But  here  I  was  again  mistaken ;  for  Mehevi,  in  con 
ducting  his  warlike  operations,  rather  inclined  to  the 
Fabian  than  to  the  Bonapartean  tactics,  husbanding  his 
resources  and  exposing  his  troops  to  no  unnecessary 
hazards.  The  total  loss  of  the  victors  in  this  obstinately 
contested  affair  was,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing 
—  one  forefinger  and  part  of  a  thumb-nail  (which  the 
late  proprietor  brought  along  with  him  in  his  hand),  a 
severely  contused  arm,  and  a  considerable  effusion  of 
blood  flowing  from  the  thigh  of  a  chief,  who  had  received 
an  ugly  thrust  from  a  Happar  spear.  What  the  enemy 
had  suffered  I  could  not  discover,  but  I  presume  they 
had  succeeded  in  taking  off  with  them  the  bodies  of 
their  slain. 


190  TYPEE 

Such  was  the  issue  of  the  battle,  as  far  as  its  results 
came  under  my  observation ;  and  as  it  appeared  to  be 
considered  an  event  of  prodigious  importance,  I  reason 
ably  concluded  that  the  wars  of  the  natives  were  marked 
by  no  very  sanguinary  traits.  I  afterwards  learned  how 
the  skirmish  had  originated.  A  number  of  the  Happars 
had  been  discovered  prowling  for  no  good  purpose  on 
the  Typee  side  of  the  mountain ;  the  alarm  was  sounded, 
and  the  invaders,  after  a  protracted  resistance,  had  been 
chased  over  the  frontier.  But  why  had  not  the  intrepid 
Mehevi  carried  the  war  into  Happar  ?  Why  had  he  not 
made  a  descent  into  the  hostile  vale,  and  brought  away 
some  trophy  of  his  victory  —  some  materials  for  the 
cannibal  entertainment  which  I  had  heard  usually  ter 
minated  every  engagement?  After  all,  I  was  much 
inclined  to  believe  that  such  shocking  festivals  must 
occur  very  rarely  among  the  islanders,  if,  indeed,  they 
ever  take  place. 

For  two  or  three  days  the  late  event  was  the  theme 
of  general  comment ;  after  which  the  excitement  gradu 
ally  wore  away,  and  the  valley  resumed  its  accustomed 
tranquillity. 


BATHING  191 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

Swimming  in  company  with  the  Girls  of  the  Valley  —  A  Canoe  —  Ef 
fects  of  the  Taboo  —  A  pleasure  Excursion  on  the  Pond  —  Beautiful 
Freak  of  Fayaway  —  Mantua-making  —  A  Stranger  arrives  in  the 
Valley  —  His  mysterious  conduct  —  Native  Oratory  —  The  Interview 
—  Its  Results  —  Departure  of  the  Stranger. 

RETURNING  health  and  peace  of  mind  gave  a  new 
interest  to  everything  around  me.  I  sought  to  diversify 
my  time  by  as  many  enjoyments  as  lay  within  reach. 
Bathing  in  company  with  troops  of  girls  formed  one  of 
my  chief  amusements.  We  sometimes  enjoyed  the 
recreation  in  the  waters  of  a  miniature  lake,  into  which 
the  central  stream  of  the  valley  expanded.  This  lovely 
sheet  of  water  was  almost  circular  in  figure,  and  about 
three  hundred  yards  across.  Its  beauty  was  indescrib 
able.  All  around  its  banks  waved  luxuriant  masses  of 
tropical  foliage,  soaring  high  above  which  was  to  be 
seen,  here  and  there,  the  symmetrical  shaft  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  tree,  surmounted  by  its  tuft  of  graceful  branches, 
drooping  in  the  air  like  so  many  waving  ostrich  plumes. 

The  ease  and  grace  with  which  the  maidens  of  the 
valley  propelled  themselves  through  the  water,  and 
their  familiarity  with  the  element,  were  truly  astonish 
ing.  Sometimes  they  might  be  seen  gliding  along,  just 
under  the  surface,  without  apparently  moving  hand  or 
foot  —  then  throwing  themselves  on  their  sides,  they 
darted  through  the  water,  revealing  glimpses  of  their 
!orms,  as,  in  the  course  of  their  rapid  progress,  they 


192  TTPEE 

shot  for  an  instant  partly  into  the  air  —  at  one  moment 
they  dived  deep  down  into  the  water  and  the  next  they 
rose  bounding  to  the  surface. 

I  remember  upon  one  occasion  plunging  in  among  a 
parcel  of  these  river-nymphs,  and  counting  vainly  upon 
my  superior  strength,  sought  to  drag  some  of  them 
under  the  water,  but  I  quickly  repented  my  temerity. 
The  amphibious  young  creatures  swarmed  about  me 
like  a  shoal  of  dolphins,  and  seizing  hold  of  my  devoted 
limbs,  tumbled  me  about  and  ducked  me  under  the 
surface,  until  from  the  strange  noises  which  rang  in  my 
ears,  and  the  supernatural  visions  dancing  before  my 
eyes,  I  thought  I  was  in  the  land  of  spirits.  I  stood 
indeed  as  little  chance  among  them  as  a  cumbrous  whale 
attacked  on  all  sides  by  a  legion  of  sword-fish.  When 
at  length  they  relinquished  their  hold  of  me,  they  swam 
away  in  every  direction,  laughing  at  my  clumsy  endeav 
ors  to  reach  them. 

There  was  no  boat  on  the  lake ;  but  at  my  solicitation 
and  for  my  special  use,  some  of  the  young  men  attached 
to  Marheyo's  household,  under  the  direction  of  the 
indefatigable  Kory-Kory,  brought  up  a  light  and  taste 
fully-carved  canoe  from  the  sea.  It  was  launched  upon 
the  sheet  of  water,  and  floated  there  as  gracefully  as  a 
swan.  But,  melancholy  to  relate,  it  produced  an  effect 
I  had  not  anticipated.  The  sweet  nymphs,  who  had 
sported  with  me  before  in  the  lake,  now  all  fled  its 
vicinity.  The  prohibited  craft,  guarded  by  the  edicts 
of  the  "taboo,"  extended  the  prohibition  to  the  waters 
in  which  it  lay. 

For  a  few  days,  Kory-Kory,  with  one  or  two  other 
youths,  accompanied  me  in  my  excursions  to  the  lake, 
and  while  I  paddled  about  in  my  light  canoe,  would 


EXCURSIONS  TO  THE  LAKE  193 

swim  after  me  shouting  and  gambolling  in  pursuit. 
But  I  was  ever  partial  to  what  is  termed  in  the  '  Young 
Men's  Own  Book '  —  "  the  society  of  virtuous  and  intel 
ligent  young  ladies ; "  and  in  the  absence  of  the  mer 
maids,  the  amusement  became  dull  and  insipid.  One 
morning  I  expressed  to  my  faithful  servitor  my  desire 
for  the  return  of  the  nymphs.  The  honest  fellow  looked 
at  me  bewildered  for  a  moment,  and  then  shook  his 
head  solemnly,  and  murmured,  "  Taboo!  taboo!"  giving 
me  to  understand  that  unless  the  canoe  was  removed,  I 
could  not  expect  to  have  the  young  ladies  back  again. 
But  to  this  procedure  I  was  averse  ;  I  not  only  wanted 
the  canoe  to  stay  where  it  was,  but  I  wanted  the  beau 
teous  Fayaway  to  get  into  it,  and  paddle  with  me  about 
the  lake.  This  latter  proposition  completely  horrified 
Kory-Kory's  notions  of  propriety.  He  inveighed  against 
it,  as  something  too  monstrous  to  be  thought  of.  It  not 
only  shocked  their  established  notions  of  propriety,  but 
was  at  variance  with  all  their  religious  ordinances. 

However,  although  the  "  taboo  "  was  a  ticklish  thing 
to  meddle  with,  I  determined  to  test  its  capabilities  of 
resisting  an  attack.  I  consulted  the  chief  Mehevi,  who 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  me  from  my  object :  but  I  was 
not  .to  be  repulsed;  and  accordingly  increased  the 
warmth  of  my  solicitations.  At  last  he  entered  into  a 
long,  and  I  have  no  doubt  a  very  learned  and  eloquent 
exposition  of  the  history  and  nature  of  the  "  taboo  "  as 
affecting  this  particular  case ;  employing  a  variety  of 
most  extraordinary  words,  which,  from  their  amazing 
length  and  sonorousness,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe 
were  of  a  theological  nature.  But  all  that  he  said  failed  to 
convince  me :  partly,  perhaps,  because  I  could  not  com 
prehend  a  word  that  he  uttered ;  but  chiefly,  that  for  the 


194  TTPEE 

life  of  me  I  could  not  understand  why  a  woman  should 
not  have  as  much  right  to  enter  a  canoe  as  a  man.  At 
last  he  became  a  little  more  rational,  and  intimated  that, 
out  of  the  abundant  love  he  bore  me,  he  would  consult 
with  the  priests  and  see  what  could  be  done. 

How  it  was  that  the  priesthood  of  Typee  satisfied  the 
affair  with  their  consciences,  I  know  not ;  but  so  it  was, 
and  Fayaway's  dispensation  from  this  portion  of  the 
taboo  was  at  length  procured.  Such  an  event  I  believe 
never  before  had  occurred  in  the  valley ;  but  it  was  high 
time  the  islanders  should  be  taught  a  little  gallantry, 
and  I  trust  that  the  example  I  set  them  may  produce 
beneficial  effects.  Ridiculous,  indeed,  that  the  lovely 
creatures  should  be  obliged  to  paddle  about  in  the  water, 
like  so  many  ducks,  while  a  parcel  of  great  strapping 
fellows  skimmed  over  its  surface  in  their  canoes. 

The  first  day  after  Fayaway's  emancipation  I  had  a 
delightful  little  party  on  the  lake  —  the  damsel,  Kory- 
Kory,  and  myself.  My  zealous  body-servant  brought 
from  the  house  a  calabash  of  poee-poee,  half  a  dozen 
young  cocoa-nuts — stripped  of  their  husks — three  pipes, 
as  many  yams,  and  me  on  his  back  a  part  of  the  way. 
Something  of  a  load ;  but  Kory-Kory  was  a  very  strong 
man  for  his  size,  and  by  no  means  brittle  in  the  spine. 
We  had  a  very  pleasant  day ;  my  trusty  valet  plied  the 
paddle  and  swept  us  gently  along  the  margin  of  the 
water,  beneath  the  shades  of  the  overhanging  thickets. 
Fayaway  and  I  reclined  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  on 
the  very  best  terms  possible  with  one  another ;  the  gentle 
nymph  occasionally  placing  her  pipe  to  her  lip,  and  ex 
haling  the  mild  fumes  of  the  tobacco,  to  which  her  rosy 
breath  added  a  fresh  perfume.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
there  is  nothing  in  which  a  young  and  beautiful  female 


A  COOL  RESORT  195 

appears  to  more  advantage  than  in  the  act  of  smoking. 
How  captivating  is  a  Peruvian  lady  swinging  in  her 
gayly-woven  hammock  of  grass,  extended  between  two 
orange  trees,  and  inhaling  the  fragrance  of  a  choice 
cigarro  !  But  Fayaway,  holding  in  her  delicately  formed 
olive  hand  the  long  yellow  reed  of  her  pipe,  with  its 
quaintly  carved  bowl,  and  every  few  moments  languish- 
ingly  giving  forth  light  wreaths  of  vapour  from  he^ 
mouth  and  nostrils,  looked  still  more  engaging. 

We  floated  about  thus  for  several  hours,  when  I 
looked  up  to  the  warm,  glowing,  tropical  sky,  and  then 
down  into  the  transparent  depths  below  ;  and  when  my 
eye,  wandering  from  the  bewitching  scenery  around,  fell 
upon  the  grotesquely-tattooed  form  of  Kory-Kory,  and 
finally  encountered  the  pensive  gaze  of  Fayaway,  I 
thought  I  had  been  transported  to  some  fair}7  region,  so 
unreal  did  everything  appear. 

This  lovely  piece  of  water  was  the  coolest  spot  in  all 
the  valley,  and  I  now  made  it  a  place  of  continual  resort 
during  the  hottest  period  of  the  day.  One  side  of  it 
lay  near  the  termination  of  a  long  gradually  expanding 
gorge,  which  mounted  to  the  heights  that  environed  the 
vale.  The  strong  trade  wind,  met  in  its  course  by  these 
elevations,  circled  and  eddied  about  their  summits,  and 
was  sometimes  driven  down  the  steep  ravine  and  swept 
across  the  valley,  ruffling  in  its  passage  the  otherwise 
tranquil  surface  of  the  lake. 

One  day,  after  we  had  been  paddling  about  for  some 
time,  I  disembarked  Kory-Kory,  and  paddled  the  canoe 
to  the  windward  side  of  the  lake.  As  I  turned  the 
canoe,  Fayaway,  who  was  with  me,  seemed  all  at  once 
to  be  struck  with  some  happy  idea.  With  a  wild  ex 
clamation  of  delight,  she  disengaged  from  her  person 


196  TTPEE 

the  ample  robe  of  tappa  which  was  knotted  over  her 
shoulder  (for  the  purpose  of  shielding  her  from  the  sun), 
and  spreading  it  out  like  a  sail,  stood  erect  with  upraised 
arms  in  the  head  of  the  canoe.  We  American  sailors 
pride  ourselves  upon  our  straight  clean  spars,  but  a 
prettier  little  mast  than  Fayaway's  made  was  never 
shipped  a-board  of  any  craft. 

In  a  moment  the  tappa  was  distended  by  the  breeze  — 
the  long  brown  tresses  of  Fayaway  streamed  in  the  air  — 
and  the  canoe  glided  rapidly  through  the  water,  and  shot 
towards  the  shore.  Seated  in  the  stern,  I  directed  its 
course  with  my  paddle  until  it  dashed  up  the  soft  slop 
ing  bank,  and  Fayaway,  with  a  light  spring,  alighted  on 
the  ground;  whilst  Kory-Kory,  who  had  watched  our 
manoeuvres  with  admiration,  now  clapped  his  hands  in 
transport,  and  shouted  like  a  madman.  Many  a  time 
afterwards  was  this  feat  repeated. 

If  the  reader  have  not  observed  ere  this  that  I  was 
the  declared  admirer  of  Miss  Fayaway,  all  I  can  say  is 
that  he  is  little  conversant  with  affairs  of  the  heart,  and 
I  certainly  shall  not  trouble  myself  to  enlighten  him 
any  further.  Out  of  the  calico  I  had  brought  from  the 
ship  I  made  a  dress  for  this  lovely  girl.  In  it  she 
looked,  I  must  confess,  something  like  an  opera  dancer. 
The  drapery  of  the  latter  damsel  generally  commences 
a  little  above  the  elbows,  but  my  island  beauty's  began 
at  the  waist,  and  terminated  sufficiently  far  above  the 
ground  to  reveal  the  most  bewitching  ankle  in  the 
universe. 

The  day  that  Fayaway  first  wore  this  robe  was  ren 
dered  memorable  by  a  new  acquaintance  being  intro 
duced  to  me.  In  the  afternoon  I  was  lying  in  the 
house,  when  I  heard  a  great  uproar  outside ;  but  being 


A  NEW  ACQUAINTANCE  197 

by  this  time  pretty  well  accustomed  to  the  wild  halloos 
which  were  almost  continually  ringing  through  the 
valley,  I  paid  little  attention  to  it,  until  old  Marheyo, 
under  the  influence  of  some  strange  excitement,  rushed 
into  my  presence  and  communicated  the  astounding  tid 
ings,  "  Marnoo  pemi ! "  which  being  interpreted,  implied 
that  an  individual  by  the  name  of  Marnoo  was  approach 
ing.  My  worthy  old  friend  evidently  expected  that 
this  intelligence  would  produce  a  great  effect  upon  me, 
and  for  a  time  he  stood  earnestly  regarding  me,  as  if 
curious  to  see  how  I  should  conduct  myself,  but  as  I 
remained  perfectly  unmoved,  the  old  gentleman  darted 
out  of  the  house  again,  in  as  great  a  hurry  as  he  had 
entered  it. 

"  Marnoo,  Marnoo,"  cogitated  I,  "  I  have  never  heard 
that  name  before.  Some  distinguished  character,  I  pre 
sume,  from  the  prodigious  riot  the  natives  are  making;" 
the  tumultuous  noise  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  every 
moment,  while  " Marnoo!  —  Marnoo!"  was  shouted  by 
every  tongue. 

I  made  up  my  mind  that  some  savage  warrior  of  con 
sequence,  who  had  not  yet  enjoyed  the  honour  of  an 
audience,  was  desirous  of  paying  his  respects  on  the 
present  occasion.  So  vain  had  I  become  by  the  lavish 
attention  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed,  that  I  felt 
half  inclined,  as  a  punishment  for  such  neglect,  to  give 
this  Marnoo  a  cold  reception,  when  the  excited  throng 
came  within  view,  convoying  one  of  the  most  striking 
specimens  of  humanity  that  I  ever  beheld. 

The  stranger  could  not  have  been  more  than  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  was  a  little  above  the  ordinary 
height ;  had  he  been  a  single  hair's  breadth  taller,  the 
matchless  symmetry  of  his  form  would  have  been 


198  TTPEE 

destroyed.  His  unclad  limbs  were  beautifully  formed ; 
whilst  the  elegant  outline  of  his  figure,  together  with 
his  beardless  cheeks,  might  have  entitled  him  to  the 
distinction  of  standing  for  the  statue  of  the  Polynesian 
Apollo ;  and  indeed  the  oval  of  his  countenance  and  the 
regularity  of  every  feature  reminded  me  of  an  antique 
bust.  But  the  marble  repose  of  art  was  supplied  by  a 
warmth  and  liveliness  of  expression  only  to  be  seen  in 
the  South  Sea  Islander  under  the  most  favourable  devel 
opments  of  nature.  The  hair  of  Marnoo  was  a  rich 
curling  brown,  and  twined  about  his  temples  and  neck 
in  little  close  curling  ringlets,  which  danced  up  and 
down  continually  when  he  was  animated  in  conversa 
tion.  His  cheek  was  of  a  feminine  softness,  and  his 
face  was  free  from  the  least  blemish  of  tattooing, 
although  the  rest  of  his  body  was  drawn  all  over  with 
fanciful  figures,  which — unlike  the  unconnected  sketch 
ing  usual  among  the  natives — appeared  to  have  been 
executed  in  conformity  with  some  general  design. 

The  tattooing  on  his  back  in  particular  attracted  my 
attention.  The  artist  employed  must  indeed  have  ex 
celled  in  his  profession.  Traced  along  the  course  of 
the  spine  was  accurately  delineated  the  slender,  taper 
ing,  and  diamond-checkered  shaft  of  the  beautiful  "  artu  " 
tree.  Branching  from  the  stem  on  either  side,  and  dis 
posed  alternately,  were  the  graceful  branches  drooping 
with  leaves  all  correctly  drawn,  and  elaborately  finished. 
Indeed,  this  piece  of  tattooing  was  the  best  specimen  of 
the  Fine  Arts  I  had  yet  seen  in  Typee.  A  rear  view  of 
the  stranger  might  have  suggested  the  idea  of  a  spread 
ing  vine  tacked  against  a  garden  wall.  Upon  his  breast, 
arms,  and  legs,  were  exhibited  an  infinite  variety  of 
figures ;  every  one  of  which,  however,  appeared  to  have 


THE  DEMEANOUR  OF  THE  STRANGER         199 

reference  to  the  general  effect  sought  to  be  produced. 
The  tattooing  I  have  described  was  of  the  brightest 
blue,  and  when  contrasted  with  the  light  olive  colour 
of  the  skin,  produced  an  unique  and  even  elegant  effect. 
A  slight  girdle  of  white  tappa,  scarcely  two  inches  in 
width,  but  hanging  before  and  behind  in  spreading 
tassels,  composed  the  entire  costume  of  the  stranger. 

He  advanced  surrounded  by  the  islanders,  carrying 
under  one  arm  a  small  roll  of  the  native  cloth,  and 
grasping  in  his  other  hand  a  long  and  richly  decorated 
spear.  His  manner  was  that  of  a  traveller  conscious 
that  he  is  approaching  a  comfortable  stage  in  his  jour 
ney.  Every  moment  he  turned  good-humouredly  to  the 
throng  around  him,  and  gave  some  dashing  sort  of  reply 
to  their  incessant  queries,  which  appeared  to  convulse 
them  with  uncontrollable  mirth. 

Struck  by  his  demeanour,  and  the  peculiarity  of  his 
appearance,  so  unlike  that  of  the  shaven-crowned  and 
face-tatooed  natives  in  general,  I  involuntarily  rose  as  he 
entered  the  house,  and  proffered  him  a  seat  on  the 
mats  beside  me.  But  without  deigning  to  notice  the 
civility,  or  even  the  more  incontrovertible  fact  of  my 
existence,  the  stranger  passed  on,  utterly  regardless 
of  me,  and  flung  himself  down  upon  the  further  end  of 
the  long  couch  that  traversed  the  sole  apartment  of 
Marheyo's  habitation. 

Had  the  belle  of  the  season,  in  the  pride  of  her  beauty 
and  power,  been  cut  in  a  place  of  public  resort  by  some 
supercilious  exquisite,  she  could  not  have  felt  greater 
indignation  than  I  did  at  this  unexpected  slight. 

I  was  thrown  into  utter  astonishment.  The  conduct 
of  the  savages  had  prepared  me  to  anticipate  from  every 
new  comer  the  same  extravagant  expressions  of  curi- 


200  TYPEE 

osity  and  regard.  This  singularity  of  his  conduct,  how 
ever,  only  roused  my  desire  to  discover  who  this  re 
markable  personage  might  be,  who  now  engrossed  the 
attention  of  every  one. 

Tinor  placed  before  him  a  calabash  of  poee-poee,  from 
which  the  stranger  regaled  himself,  alternating  every 
mouthful  with  some  rapid  exclamation  which  was 
eagerly  caught  up  and  echoed  by  the  crowd  that  com 
pletely  filled  the  house.  When  I  observed  the  striking 
devotion  of  the  natives  to  him,  and  their  temporary  with 
drawal  of  all  attention  from  myself,  I  felt  not  a  little 
piqued.  The  glory  of  Tommo  is  departed,  thought  I, 
and  the  sooner  he  removes  from  the  valley  the  better. 
These  were  my  feelings  at  the  moment,  and  they  were 
prompted  by  that  glorious  principle  inherent  in  all 
heroic  natures  —  the  strong-rooted  determination  to  have 
the  biggest  share  of  the  pudding  or  go  without  any  of  it. 

Marnoo,  this  all-attractive  personage,  having  satisfied 
his  hunger,  and  inhaled  a  few  whiffs  from  a  pipe  which 
was  handed  to  him,  launched  out  into  an  harangue 
which  completely  enchained  the  attention  of  his  audi 
tors. 

Little  as  I  understood  of  the  language,  yet  from  his 
animated  gestures  and  the  varying  expressions  of  his 
features — reflected  as  from  so  many  mirrors  in  the 
countenances  around  him,  I  could  easily  discover  the 
nature  of  those  passions  which  he  sought  to  arouse. 
From  the  frequent  occurrence  of  the  words  "  Nukuheva" 
and  "  Frannee  "  (French),  and  some  others  with  the 
meaning  of  which  I  was  acquainted,  he  appeared  to  be 
rehearsing  to  his  auditors  events  which  had  recently 
occurred  in  the  neighbouring  bays.  But  how  he  had 
gained  the  knowledge  of  these  matters  I  could  not  un- 


NATIVE  ORATORY  201 

derstand,  unless  it  were  that  he  had  just  come  from 
Nukuheva  —  a  supposition  which  his  travel-stained  ap 
pearance  not  a  little  supported.  But,  if  a  native  of 
that  region,  I  could  not  account  for  his  friendly  recep 
tion  at  the  hands  of  the  Typees. 

Never,  certainly,  had  I  beheld  so  powerful  an  exhibi 
tion  of  natural  eloquence  as  Marnoo  displayed  during 
the  course  of  his  oration.  The  grace  of  the  attitudes 
into  which  he  threw  his  flexible  figure,  the  striking  ges 
tures  of  his  naked  arms,  and  above  all,  the  fire  which 
shot  from  his  brilliant  eyes,  imparted  an  effect  to  the 
continually  changing  accents  of  his  voice,  of  which  the 
most  accomplished  orator  might  have  been  proud.  At 
one  moment  reclining  sideways  upon  the  mat,  and  lean 
ing  calmly  upon  his  bended  arm,  he  related  circumstan 
tially  the  aggressions  of  the  French — their  hostile  visits 
to  the  surrounding  bays,  enumerating  each  one  in  suc 
cession —  Happar,  Puerka,  Nukuheva,  Tior,  —  and  then 
starting  to  his  feet  and  precipitating  himself  forward 
with  clenched  hands  and  a  countenance  distorted  with 
passion,  he  poured  out  a  tide  of  invectives.  Falling 
back  into  an  attitude  of  lofty  command,  he  exhorted  the 
Typees  to  resist  these  encroachments ;  reminding  them, 
with  a  fierce  glance  of  exultation,  that  as  yet  the  terror 
of  their  name  had  preserved  them  from  attack,  and  with 
a  scornful  sneer  he  sketched  in  ironical  terms  the  won 
drous  intrepidity  of  the  French,  who,  with  five  war- 
canoes  and  hundreds  of  men,  had  not  dared  to  assail  the 
naked  warriors  of  their  valley. 

The  effect  he  produced  upon  his  audience  was  elec 
tric  ;  one  and  all  they  stood  regarding  him  with  spark 
ling  eyes  and  trembling  limbs,  as  though  they  were 
listening  to  the  inspired  voice  of  a  prophet. 


202  TTPEE 

But  it  soon  appeared  that  Marnoo's  powers  were  a& 
versatile  as  they  were  extraordinary.  As  soon  as  he 
had  finished  this  vehement  harangue,  he  threw  himself 
again  upon  the  mats,  and,  singling  out  individuals  in 
the  crowd,  addressed  them  by  name,  in  a  sort  of  banter 
ing  style,  the  humour  of  which,  though  nearly  hidden 
from  me,  filled  the  whole  assembly  with  uproarious 
delight. 

He  had  a  word  for  everybody ;  and,  turning  rapidly 
from  one  to  another,  gave  utterance  to  some  hasty  wit 
ticism,  which  was  sure  to  be  followed  by  peals  of 
laughter.  To  the  females,  as  well  as  to  the  men,  he 
addressed  his  discourse.  Heaven  only  knows  what  he 
said  to  them,  but  he  caused  smiles  and  blushes  to  man 
tle  their  ingenuous  faces.  I  am,  indeed,  very  much 
inclined  to  believe  that  Marnoo,  with  his  handsome 
person  and  captivating  manners,  was  a  sad  deceiver 
among  the  simple  maidens  of  the  island. 

During  all  this  time  he  had  never,  for  one  moment, 
deigned  to  regard  me.  He  appeared,  indeed,  to  be 
altogether  unconscious  of  my  presence.  I  was  utterly 
at  a  loss  how  to  account  for  this  extraordinary  conduct. 
I  easily  perceived  that  he  was  a  man  of  no  little  con 
sequence  among  the  islanders  ;  that  he  possessed  un 
common  talents ;  and  was  gifted  with  a  higher  degree 
of  knowledge  than  the  inmates  of  the  valley.  For 
these  reasons,  I  therefore  greatly  feared  lest  having, 
from  some  cause  or  other,  unfriendly  feelings  toward 
me,  he  might  exert  his  powerful  influence  to  do  me 
mischief. 

It  seemed  evident  that  he  was  not  a  permanent  resi 
dent  of  the  vale,  and  yet,  whence  could  he  have  come  ? 
On  all  sides  the  Typees  were  girt  in  by  hostile  tribes, 


OVERWHELMED   WITH  ASTONISHMENT         203 

and  how  could  he  possibly,  if  belonging  to  any  of  these, 
be  received  with  so  much  cordiality  ? 

The  personal  appearance  of  the  enigmatical  stranger 
suggested  additional  perplexities.  The  face,  free  from 
tattooing,  and  the  unshaven  crown,  were  peculiarities  I 
had  never  before  remarked  in  any  part  of  the  island, 
and  I  had  always  heard  that  the  contrary  were  con^ 
sidered  the  indispensable  distinctions  of  a  Marquesan 
warrior.  Altogether  the  matter  was  perfectly  incom 
prehensible  to  me,  and  I  awaited  its  solution  with  no 
small  degree  of  anxiety. 

At  length,  from  certain  indications,  I  suspected  that 
he  was  making  me  the  subject  of  his  remarks,  although 
he  appeared  cautiously  to  avoid  either  pronouncing 
my  name,  or  looking  in  the  direction  where  I  lay.  All 
at  once  he  rose  from  the  mats  where  he  had  been  reclin 
ing,  and,  still  conversing,  moved  towards  me,  his  eye 
purposely  evading  mine,  and  seated  himself  within  less 
than  a  yard  of  me.  I  had  hardly  recovered  from  my 
surprise,  when  he  suddenly  turned  round,  and,  with  a 
most  benignant  countenance,  extended  his  right  hand 
gracefully  towards  me.  Of  course  I  accepted  the  courte 
ous  challenge,  and,  as  soon  as  our  palms  met,  he  bent 
towards  me,  and  murmured  in  musical  accents,  —  "  How 
you  do  ?  "  "  How  long  you  been  in  this  bay  ?  "  "  You 
like  this  bay?" 

Had  I  been  pierced  simultaneously  by  three  Happar 
spears,  I  could  not  have  started  more  than  I  did  at 
hearing  these  simple  questions  !  For  a  moment  I  was 
overwhelmed  with  astonishment,  and  then  answered 
something  I  know  not  what  ;  but  as  soon  as  I  regained 
my  self-possession,  the  thought  darted  through  my  mind 
that  from  this  individual  I  might  obtain  that  informa- 


204  TTPEE 

tion  regarding  Toby  which  I  suspected  the  natives  had 
purposely  withheld  from  me.  Accordingly  I  questioned 
him  concerning  the  disappearance  of  my  companion,  but 
he  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  matter.  I  then  enquired 
from  whence  he  had  come  ?  He  replied,  from  Nuku- 
heva.  When  I  expressed  my  surprise,  he  looked  at  me 
for  a  moment,  as  if  enjoying  my  perplexity,  and  then, 
with  his  strange  vivacity,  exclaimed,  —  "  Ah !  me  taboo, 
—  me  go  Nukuheva,  —  me  go  Tior,  —  me  go  Typee, — 
me  go  everywhere,  —  nobody  harm  me,  —  me  taboo." 

This  explanation  would  have  been  altogether  unintel 
ligible  to  me,  had  it  not  recalled  to  my  mind  something 
I  had  previously  heard  concerning  a  singular  custom 
among  these  islanders.  Though  the  country  is  pos 
sessed  by  various  tribes,  whose  mutual  hostilities 
almost  wholly  preclude  any  intercourse  between  them ; 
yet  there  are  instances  where  a  person  having  ratified 
friendly  relations  with  some  individual  belonging  to  the 
valley,  whose  inmates  are  at  war  with  his  own,  may, 
under  particular  restrictions,  venture  with  impunity 
into  the  country  of  his  friend,  where,  under  other  cir 
cumstances,  he  would  have  been  treated  as  an  enemy. 
In  this  light  are  personal  friendships  regarded  among 
them,  and  the  individual  so  protected  is  said  to  be 
"  taboo,"  and  his  person,  to  a  certain  extent,  is  held  as 
sacred.  Thus  the  stranger  informed  me  he  had  access 
to  all  the  valleys  in  the  island. 

Curious  to  know  how  he  had  acquired  his  knowledge 
of  English,  I  questioned  him  on  the  subject.  At  first, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  he  evaded  the  enquiry,  but 
afterwards  told  me  that,  when  a  boy,  he  had  been  car 
ried  to  sea  by  the  captain  of  a  trading  vessel,  with  whom 
he  had  staid  three  years,  living  part  of  the  time  with 


SUSPICIONS  REVIVED  205 

him  at  Sydney,  in  Australia,  and  that,  at  a  subsequent 
visit  to  the  island,  the  captain  had,  at  his  own  request, 
permitted  him  to  remain  among  his  countrymen.  The 
natural  quickness  of  the  savage  had  been  wonderfully 
improved  by  his  intercourse  with  the  white  men,  and 
his  partial  knowledge  of  a  foreign  language  gave  him 
a  great  ascendancy  over  his  less  accomplished  country 
men. 

When  I  asked  the  now  affable  Marnoo  why  it  was 
that  he  had  not  previously  spoken  to  me,  he  eagerly 
enquired  what  I  had  been  led  to  think  of  him  from  his 
conduct  in  that  respect.  I  replied,  that  I  had  supposed 
him  to  be  some  great  chief  or  warrior,  who  had  seen 
plenty  of  white  men  before,  and  did  not  think  it  worth 
while  to  notice  a  poor  sailor.  At  this  declaration  of  the 
exalted  opinion  I  had  formed  of  him,  he  appeared  vastly 
gratified,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  had  pur 
posely  behaved  in  that  manner,  in  order  to  increase  my 
astonishment,  as  soon  as  he  should  see  proper  to  address 
me. 

Marnoo  now  sought  to  learn  my  version  of  the  story 
as  to  how  I  came  to  be  an  inmate  of  the  Typee  valley. 
When  I  related  to  him  the  circumstances  under  which 
Toby  and  I  had  entered  it,  he  listened  with  evident 
interest ;  but  as  soon  as  I  alluded  to  the  absence,  yet 
unaccounted  for,  of  my  comrade,  he  endeavoured  to 
change  the  subject,  as  if  it  were  something  he  desired 
not  to  agitate.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  everything  con 
nected  with  Toby  was  destined  to  beget  distrust  and 
anxiety  in  my  bosom.  Notwithstanding  Marnoo's  de 
nial  of  any  knowledge  of  his  fate,  I  could  not  avoid 
suspecting  that  he  was  deceiving  me ;  and  this  suspicion 
revived  those  frightful  apprehensions  with  regard  to  my 


206  TYPES 

own  fate,  which,  for  a  short  time  past,  had  subsided  In 
my  breast. 

Influenced  by  these  feelings,  I  now  felt  a  strong  de 
sire  to  avail  myself  of  the  stranger's  protection,  and 
under  his  safeguard  to  return  to  Nukuheva.  But  as 
soon  as  I  hinted  at  this,  he  unhesitatingly  pronounced 
it  to  be  entirely  impracticable ;  assuring  me  that  the 
Typees  would  never  consent  to  my  leaving  the  valley. 
Although  what  he  said  merely  confirmed  the  impres 
sion  which  I  had  before  entertained,  still  it  increased 
my  anxiety  to  escape  from  a  captivity,  which,  however 
endurable,  nay,  delightful  it  might  be  in  some  respects, 
involved  in  its  issues  a  fate  marked  by  the  most  fright 
ful  contingencies. 

I  could  not  conceal  from  my  mind  that  Toby  had 
been  treated  in  the  same  friendly  manner  as  I  had  been, 
and  yet  all  their  kindness  had  terminated  in  his  myste 
rious  disappearance.  Might  not  the  same  fate  await 
me? — a  fate  too  dreadful  to  think  of.  Stimulated  by 
these  considerations,  I  urged  anew  my  request  to  Mar- 
noo ;  but  he  only  set  forth  in  stronger  colours  the  im 
possibility  of  my  escape,  and  repeated  his  previous 
declaration  that  the  Typees  would  never  be  brought  to 
consent  to  my  departure. 

When  I  endeavoured  to  learn  from  him  the  motives 
which  prompted  them  to  hold  me  a  prisoner,  Marnoo 
again  assumed  that  mysterious  tone  which  had  tormented 
me  with  apprehensions  when  I  had  questioned  him  with 
regard  to  the  fate  of  my  companion. 

Thus  repulsed,  in  a  manner  which  only  served,  by 
arousing  the  most  dreadful  forebodings,  to  excite  me  to 
renewed  attempts,  I  conjured  him  to  intercede  for  me 
with  the  natives,  and  endeavour  to  procure  their  consent 


CONDUCT  OF  THE  NATIVES  207 

to  my  leaving  them.  To  this  he  appeared  strongly 
averse;  but,  yielding  at  last  to  my  importunities,  he 
addressed  several  of  the  chiefs,  who  with  the  rest  had 
been  eying  us  intently  during  the  whole  of  our  con 
versation.  His  petition,  however,  was  at  once  met  with 
the  most  violent  disapprobation,  manifesting  itself  in 
angry  glances  and  gestures,  and  a  perfect  torrent  of 
passionate  words,  directed  to  both  him  and  myself. 
Marnoo,  evidently  repenting  the  step  he  had  taken, 
earnestly  deprecated  the  resentment  of  the  crowd,  and 
in  a  few  moments  succeeded  in  pacifying  to  some  ex 
tent  the  clamours  which  had  broken  out  as  soon  as  his 
proposition  had  been  understood. 

With  the  most  intense  interest  had  I  watched  the 
reception  his  intercession  might  receive ;  and  a  bitter 
pang  shot  through  my  heart  at  the  additional  evidence, 
now  furnished,  of  the  unchangeable  determination  of 
the  islanders.  Marnoo  told  me,  with  evident  alarm  in 
his  countenance,  that  although  admitted  into  the  bay 
on  a  friendly  footing  with  its  inhabitants,  he  could  not 
presume  to  meddle  with  their  concerns,  as  such  a  pro 
cedure,  if  persisted  in,  would  at  once  absolve  the 
Typees  from  the  restraints  of  the  "  Taboo,"  although  so 
long  as  he  refrained  from  any  such  conduct,  it  screened 
him  effectually  from  the  consequences  of  the  enmity 
they  bore  his  tribe. 

At  this  moment,  Mehevi,  who  was  present,  angrily 
interrupted  him ;  and  the  words  which  he  uttered,  in  a 
commanding  tone,  evidently  meant  that  he  must  at  once 
cease  talking  to  me,  and  withdraw  to  the  other  part  of 
the  house.  Marnoo  immediately  started  up,  hurriedly 
enjoining  me  not  to  address  him  again,  and,  as  I  valued 
mv  safety,  to  refrain  from  all  further  allusion  to  the 


208  TTPEE 

subject  of  my  departure  ;  and  then,  in  compliance  with 
the  order  of  the  determined  chief,  but  not  before  it  had 
again  been  angrily  repeated,  he  withdrew  to  a  distance. 

I  now  perceived,  with  no  small  degree  of  apprehen 
sion,  the  same  savage  expression  in  the  countenance  of 
the  natives  which  had  startled  me  during  the  scene  at 
the  Ti.  They  glanced  their  eyes  suspiciously  from 
Marnoo  to  me,  as  if  distrusting  the  nature  of  an  inter 
course  carried  on,  as  it  was,  in  a  language  they  could 
not  understand,  and  they  seemed  to  harbour  the  belief 
that  already  we  had  concerted  measures  calculated  to 
elude  their  vigilance. 

The  lively  countenances  of  these  people  are  wonder 
fully  indicative  of  the  emotions  of  the  soul,  and  the 
imperfections  of  their  oral  language  are  more  than  com 
pensated  for  by  the  nervous  eloquence  of  their  looks  and 
gestures.  I  could  plainly  trace,  in  every  varying  ex 
pression  of  their  faces,  all  those  passions  which  had 
been  thus  unexpectedly  aroused  in  their  bosoms. 

It  required  no  reflection  to  convince  me,  from  what 
was  going  on,  that  the  injunction  of  Marnoo  was  not  to 
be  rashly  slighted;  and  accordingly,  great  as  was  the 
effort  to  suppress  my  feelings,  I  accosted  Mehevi  in 
a  good-humoured  tone,  with  a  view  of  dissipating  any 
ill  impression  he  might  have  received.  But  the  ireful, 
angry  chief  was  not  so  easily  mollified.  He  rejected 
my  advances  with  that  peculiarly  stern  expression  I 
have  before  described,  and  took  care  by  the  whole  of  his 
behaviour  towards  me  to  show  the  displeasure  and  re 
sentment  which  he  felt. 

Marnoo,  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  house,  appar 
ently  desirous  of  making  a  diversion  in  my  favour,  ex 
erted  himself  to  amuse  with  his  pleasantries  the  crowd 


MARNOO'S  DEPARTURE  209 

about  him ;  but  his  lively  attempts  were  not  so  success 
ful  as  they  had  previously  been,  and,  foiled  in  his 
efforts,  he  rose  gravely  to  depart.  No  one  expressed 
any  regret  at  this  movement,  so  seizing  his  roll  of  tappa, 
and  grasping  his  spear,  he  advanced  to  the  front  of  the 
pi-pi,  and  waving  his  hand  in  adieu  to  the  now  silent 
throng,  cast  upon  me  a  glance  of  mingled  pity  and  re 
proach,  and  flung  himself  into  the  path  which  led  from 
the  house.  I  watched  his  receding  figure  until  it  was 
lost  in  the  obscurity  of  the  grove,  and  then  gave  myself 
up  to  the  most  desponding  reflections. 


210  TTPXM 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Reflections  after  Manioc's  Departure  —  Battle  of   the  Pop-guni  — 
Strange  Conceit  of  Marheyo  —  Process  of  making  Tappa. 

THE  knowledge  I  had  now  obtained  as  to  the  inten 
tion  of  the  savages  deeply  affected  me. 

Marnoo,  I  perceived,  was  a  man  who,  by  reason  of  his 
superior  acquirements,  and  the  knowledge  he  possessed 
of  the  events  which  were  taking  place  in  the  different 
bays  of  the  island,  was  held  in  no  little  estimation  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  valley.  He  had  been  received 
with  the  most  cordial  welcome  and  respect.  The  na 
tives  had  hung  upon  the  accents  of  his  voice,  and  had 
manifested  the  highest  gratification  at  being  individu 
ally  noticed  by  him.  And  yet,  despite  all  this,  a  few 
words  urged  in  my  behalf,  with  the  intent  of  obtaining 
my  release  from  captivity,  had  sufficed  not  only  to 
banish  all  harmony  and  good-will ;  but,  if  I  could  be 
lieve  what  he  told  me,  had  gone  nigh  to  endanger  hia 
own  personal  safety. 

How  strongly  rooted,  then,  must  be  the  determina 
tion  of  the  Typees  with  regard  to  me,  and  how  suddenly 
could  they  display  the  strangest  passions!  The  mere 
suggestion  of  my  departure  had  estranged  from  me,  for 
the  time  at  least,  Mehevi,  who  was  the  most  influential 
of  all  the  chiefs,  and  who  had  previously  exhibited  so 
many  instances  of  his  friendly  sentiments.  The  rest  of 
the  natives  had  likewise  evinced  their  strong  repugnanct 


211 

to  my  wishes,  and  even  Kory-Kory  himself  seemed  to 
share  in  the  general  disapprobation  bestowed  upon  me. 

In  vain  I  racked  my  invention  to  find  out  some  motive 
for  the  strange  desire  these  people  manifested  to  retain 
me  among  them ;  but  I  could  discover  none. 

But  however  this  might  be,  the  scene  which  had  just 
occurred  admonished  me  of  the  danger  of  trifling  with 
the  wayward  and  passionate  spirits  against  whom  it  was 
vain  to  struggle,  and  might  even  be  fatal  to  do  so.  My 
only  hope  was  to  induce  the  natives  to  believe  that  I 
was  reconciled  to  my  detention  in  the  valley,  and  by 
assuming  a  tranquil  and  cheerful  demeanour,  to  allay 
the  suspicions  which  I  had  so  unfortunately  aroused. 
Their  confidence  revived,  they  might  in  a  short  time 
remit  in  some  degree  their  watchfulness  over  my  move 
ments,  and  I  should  then  be  the  better  enabled  to  avail 
myself  of  any  opportunity  which  presented  itself  for 
escape.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  make  the  best  of  a 
bad  bargain,  and  to  bear  up  manfully  against  whatever 
might  betide.  In  this  endeavour  I  succeeded  beyond 
my  own  expectations.  At  the  period  of  Marnoo's  visit, 
I  had  been  in  the  valley,  as  nearly  as  I  could  conjecture, 
some  two  months.  Although  not  completely  recovered 
from  my  strange  illness  which  still  lingered  about  me, 
I  was  free  from  pain  and  able  to  take  exercise.  In  short, 
I  had  every  reason  to  anticipate  a  perfect  recovery. 
Freed  from  apprehensions  on  this  point,  and  resolved 
to  regard  the  future  without  flinching,  I  flung  myself 
anew  into  all  the  social  pleasures  of  the  valley,  and 
sought  to  bury  all  regrets,  and  all  remembrances  of  my 
previous  existence,  in  the  wild  enjoyments  it  afforded. 

In  my  various  wanderings  through  the  vale,  and  as  I 
became  better  acquainted  with  the  character  of  its 


212  TTPEE 

inhabitants,  I  was  more  and  more  struck  with  the  light- 
hearted  joyousness  that  everywhere  prevailed.  The 
minds  of  these  simple  savages,  unoccupied  by  matters 
of  graver  moment,  were  capable  of  deriving  the  utmost 
delight  from  circumstances  which  would  have  passed 
unnoticed  in  more  intelligent  communities.  All  their 
enjoyment,  indeed,  seemed  to  be  made  up  of  the  little 
trifling  incidents  of  the  passing  hour ;  but  these  dimin 
utive  items  swelled  altogether  to  an  amount  of  happi 
ness  seldom  experienced  by  more  enlightened  individuals, 
whose  pleasures  are  drawn  from  more  elevated  but  rarer 
sources. 

What  community,  for  instance,  of  refined  and  intel 
lectual  mortals  would  derive  the  least  satisfaction  from 
shooting  pop-guns  ?  The  mere  supposition  of  such  a 
thing  being  possible  would  excite  their  indignation,  and 
yet  the  whole  population  of  Typee  did  little  else  for 
ten  days  but  occupy  themselves  with  that  childish 
amusement,  fairly  screaming,  too,  with  the  delight  it 
afforded  them. 

One  day  I  was  frolicking  with  a  little  spirited  urchin, 
some  six  years  old,  who  chased  me  with  a  piece  of  bam 
boo  about  three  feet  long,  with  which  he  occasionally 
belaboured  me.  Seizing  the  stick  from  him,  the  idea 
happened  to  suggest  itself,  that  I  might  make  for  the 
youngster,  out  of  the  slender  tube,  one  of  those  nursery 
muskets  with  which  I  had  sometimes  seen  children  play 
ing.  Accordingly,  with  my  knife  I  made  two  parallel 
slits  in  the  cane  several  inches  in  length,  and  cutting 
loose  at  one  end  the  elastic  strip  between  them,  bent  it 
back  and  slipped  the  point  into  a  little  notch  made  for 
the  purpose.  Any  small  substance  placed  against  this 
would  be  projected  with  considerable  force  through  the 


MANUFACTURE  OF  POP-GUNS  213 

tube,  by  merely  springing  the  bent  strip  out  of  the 
notch. 

Had  I  possessed  the  remotest  idea  of  the  sensation 
this  piece  of  ordnance  was  destined  to  produce,  I  should 
certainly  have  taken  out  a  patent  for  the  invention.  The 
boy  scampered  away  with  it,  half  delirious  with  ecstasy, 
and  in  twenty  minutes  afterwards  I  might  have  been 
seen  surrounded  by  a  noisy  crowd  —  venerable  old  grey 
beards —  responsible  fathers  of  families  —  valiant  war 
riors  —  matrons  —  young  men  —  girls  and  children,  all 
holding  in  their  hand  bits  of  bamboo,  and  each  clamour 
ing  to  be  served  first. 

For  three  or  four  hours  I  was  engaged  in  manufactur 
ing  pop-guns,  but  at  last  made  over  my  good-will  and 
interest  in  the  concern  to  a  lad  of  remarkably  quick 
parts,  whom  I  soon  initiated  into  the  art  and  mystery. 

Pop,  Pop,  Pop,  Pop,  now  resounded  all  over  the  val 
ley.  Duels,  skirmishes,  pitched  battles,  and  general 
engagements  were  to  be  seen  on  every  side.  Here,  as 
you  walked  along  a  path  which  led  through  a  thicket, 
you  fell  into  a  cunningly-laid  ambush,  and  became  a 
target  for  a  body  of  musketeers  whose  tattooed  limbs 
you  could  just  see  peeping  into  view  through  the  foli 
age.  There,  you  were  assailed  by  the  intrepid  garrison 
of  a  house,  who  levelled  their  bamboo  rifles  at  you  from 
between  the  upright  canes  which  composed  its  sides. 
Farther  on  you  were  fired  upon  by  a  detachment  of 
sharpshooters,  mounted  upon  the  top  of  a  pi-pi. 

Pop,  Pop,  Pop,  Pop !  green  guavas,  seeds,  and  berries 
were  flying  about  in  every  direction,  and  during  this 
dangerous  state  of  affairs  I  was  half  afraid  that,  like  the 
man  and  his  brazen  bull,  I  should  fall  a  victim  to  my 
own  ingenuity.  Like  everything  else,  however,  the 


214  TTPSS 

excitement  gradually  wore  away,  though  ever  after 
occasional  pop-guns  might  be  heard  at  all  hours  of  the 
day. 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  the  pop-gun  war,  that 
I  was  infinitely  diverted  with  a  strange  freak  of 
Marheyo's. 

I  had  worn,  when  I  quitted  the  ship,  a  pair  of  thick 
pumps,  which,  from  the  rough  usage  they  had  received 
in  scaling  precipices  and  sliding  down  gorges,  were  so 
dilapidated  as  to  be  altogether  unfit  for  use  —  so,  at 
least,  would  have  thought  the  generality  of  people,  and 
so  they  most  certainly  were,  when  considered  in  the 
light  of  shoes.  But  things  unserviceable  in  one  way, 
may  with  advantage  be  applied  in  another,  that  is,  if 
one  have  genius  enough  for  the  purpose.  This  geniua 
Marheyo  possessed  in  a  superlative  degree,  as  he  abun 
dantly  evinced  by  the  use  to  which  he  put  these  sorely 
bruised  and  battered  old  shoes. 

Every  article,  however  trivial,  which  belonged  to  me, 
the  natives  appeared  to  regard  as  sacred ;  and  I  observed 
that  for  several  days  after  becoming  an  inmate  of  the 
house,  my  pumps  were  suffered  to  remain,  untouched, 
where  I  had  first  happened  to  throw  them.  I  remem 
bered,  however,  that  after  a  while  I  had  missed  them 
from  their  accustomed  place ;  but  the  matter  gave  mo 
no  concern,  supposing  that  Tinor  —  like  any  other  tidy 
housewife,  having  come  across  them  in  some  of  her 
domestic  occupations  —  had  pitched  the  useless  things 
out  of  the  house.  But  I  was  soon  undeceived. 

One  day  I  observed  old  Marheyo  bustling  about  mt 
with  unusual  activity,  and  to  such  a  degree  as  almost  to 
supersede  Kory-Kory  in  the  functions  of  his  office. 
One  moment  he  volunteered  to  trot  off  with  me  on  hi* 


MARHEYO'S  STRANGE  BEHAVIOUR  215 

back  to  the  stream ;  and  when  I  refused,  noways  daunted 
by  the  repulse  he  continued  to  frisk  about  me  like  a 
superannuated  house-dog.  I  could  not  for  the  l;*e  of 
me  conjecture  what  possessed  the  old  gentleman,  until  all 
at  once,  availing  himself  of  the  temporary  absence  of  the 
household,  he  went  through  a  variety  of  uncouth 
gestures,  pointing  eagerly  down  to  my  feet,  and  then  up 
to  a  little  bundle  which  swung  from  the  ridge-pole  over 
head.  At  last  I  caught  a  faint  idea  of  his  meaning,  and 
motioned  him  to  lower  the  package.  He  executed  the 
order  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  unrolling  a  piece 
of  tappa  displayed  to  my  astonished  gaze  the  identi 
cal  pumps  which  I  thought  had  been  destroyed  long 
before. 

I  immediately  comprehended  his  desires,  and  very 
generously  gave  him  the  shoes,  which  had  become  quite 
mouldy,  wondering  for  what  earthly  purpose  he  could 
want  them. 

The  same  afternoon  I  descried  the  venerable  warrior 
approaching  the  house,  with  a  slow,  stately  gait,  ear 
rings  in  ears,  and  spear  in  hand,  with  this  highly  orna 
mental  pair  of  shoes  suspended  from  his  neck  by  a  strip 
of  bark,  and  swinging  backwards  and  forwards  on  his 
capacious  chest.  In  the  gala  costume  of  the  tasteful 
Marheyo,  these  calf-skin  pendants  ever  after  formed  the 
most  striking  feature. 

But  to  turn  to  something  a  little  more  important. 
Although  the  whole  existence  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
valley  seemed  to  pass  away  exempt  from  toil,  yet  there 
were  some  light  employments  which,  although  amusing 
rather  than  laborious  as  occupations,  contributed  to 
their  comfort  and  luxury.  Among  these,  the  most  im 
portant  was  the  manufacture  of  the  native  cloth — • 


216  TTPEE 

"tappa," — so  well  known,  under  various  modifications, 
throughout  the  whole  Polynesian  Archipelago.  As  is 
generally  understood,  this  useful  and  sometimes  elegant 
article  is  fabricated  from  the  bark  of  different  trees. 
But,  as  I  believe  that  no  description  of  its  manufacture 
has  ever  been  given,  I  shall  state  what  I  know  regard 
ing  it. 

In  the  manufacture  of  the  beautiful  white  tappa  gen 
erally  worn  on  the  Marquesan  Islands,  the  preliminary 
operation  consists  in  gathering  a  certain  quantity  of  the 
young  branches  of  the  cloth-tree.  The  exterior  green 
bark  being  pulled  off  as  worthless,  there  remains  a  slen 
der  fibrous  substance,  which  is  carefully  stripped  from 
the  stick,  to  which  it  closely  adheres.  When  a  suffi 
cient  quantity  of  it  has  been  collected,  the  various  strips 
are  enveloped  in  a  covering  of  large  leaves,  which  the 
natives  use  precisely  as  we  do  wrapping-paper,  and 
which  are  secured  by  a  few  turns  of  a  line  passed  round 
them.  The  package  is  then  laid  in  the  bed  of  some 
running  stream,  with  a  heavy  stone  placed  over  it,  to 
prevent  its  being  swept  away.  After  it  has  remained 
for  two  or  three  days  in  this  state,  it  is  drawn  out,  and 
exposed,  for  a  short  time,  to  the  action  of  the  air,  every 
distinct  piece  being  attentively  inspected,  with  a  view 
of  ascertaining  whether  it  has  yet  been  sufficiently  af 
fected  by  the  operation.  This  is  repeated  again  and 
again,  until  the  desired  result  is  obtained. 

When  the  substance  is  in  a  proper  state  for  the  next 
process,  it  betrays  evidences  of  incipient  decomposition ; 
the  fibres  are  relaxed  and  softened,  and  rendered  per 
fectly  malleable.  The  different  strips  are  now  extended, 
one  by  one,  in  successive  layers,  upon  some  smooth  sur 
face,  —  generally  the  prostrate  trunk  of  a  cocoa-nut  tree, 


NATIVE  INDUSTRY  217 

—  and  the  heap  thus  formed  is  subjected,  at  every  new 
increase,  to  a  moderate  beating,  with  a  sort  of  wooden 
mallet,  leisurely  applied.  The  mallet  is  made  of  a  hard 
heavy  wood  resembling  ebony,  is  about  twelve  inches  in 
length,  and  perhaps  two  in  breadth,  with  a  rounded 
handle  at  one  end,  and  in  shape  is  the  exact  counterpart 
of  one  of  our  four-sided  razor-strops.  The  flat  surfaces 
of  the  implement  are  marked  with  shallow  parallel  in 
dentations,  varying  in  depth  on  the  different  sides,  so 
as  to  be  adapted  to  the  several  stages  of  the  operation. 
These  marks  produce  the  corduroy  sort  of  stripes  dis 
cernible  in  the  tappa  in  its  finished  state.  After  being 
beaten  in  the  manner  I  have  described,  the  material 
soon  becomes  blended  in  one  mass,  which,  moistened  oc 
casionally  with  water,  is  at  intervals  hammered  out,  by 
a  kind  of  gold-beating  process,  to  any  degree  of  thin 
ness  required.  In  this  way  the  cloth  is  easily  made  to 
vary  in  strength  and  thickness,  so  as  to  suit  the  numer 
ous  purposes  to  which  it  is  applied. 

When  the  operation  last  described  has  been  con 
cluded,  the  new-made  tappa  is  spread  out  on  the  grass 
to  bleach  and  dry,  and  soon  becomes  of  a  dazzling 
whiteness.  Sometimes,  in  the  first  stages  of  the  manu 
facture,  the  substance  is  impregnated  with  a  vegetable 
juice,  which  gives  it  a  permanent  colour.  A  rich  brown 
and  a  bright  yellow  are  occasionally  seen,  but  the  sim 
ple  taste  of  the  Typee  people  inclines  them  to  prefer 
the  natural  tint. 

The  notable  wife  of  Kamehameha,  the  renowned  con 
queror  and  king  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  used  to  pride 
herself  in  the  skill  she  displayed  in  dyeing  her  tappa 
with  contrasting  colours  disposed  in  regular  figures ; 
and,  in  the  midst  of  the  innovations  of  the  times,  was 


218 

regarded,  towards  the  decline  of  her  life,  as  a  lady  of 
the  old  school,  clinging  as  she  did  to  the  national  cloth, 
in  preference  to  the  frippery  of  the  European  calicoes. 
But  the  art  of  printing  the  tappa  is  unknown  upon  th« 
Marquesan  Islands. 

In  passing  along  the  valley,  I  was  often  attracted  by 
the  noise  of  the  mallet,  which,  when  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  cloth,  produces  at  every  stroke  of 
its  hard,  heavy  wood,  a  clear  ringing,  and  musical 
sound,  capable  of  being  heard  at  a  great  distance. 
When  several  of  these  implements  happen  to  be  in 
operation  at  the  same  time,  and  near  one  another,  the 
effect  upon  the  ear  of  a  person,  at  a  little  distance,  i» 
really  charming. 


A  DAY  IN  THE  VALLEY  219 


CHAPTER  XX. 

History  of  a  Day  as  usually  spent  in  the  Typee  Valley  —  Dances  ot 
the  Marquesan  Girls. 

NOTHING  can  be  more  uniform  and  undiversified  than 
the  life  of  the  Typees ;  one  tranquil  day  of  ease  and 
happiness  follows  another  in  quiet  succession ;  and  with 
these  unsophisticated  savages  the  history  of  a  day  is  the 
history  of  a  life.  I  will,  therefore,  as  briefly  as  I  can, 
describe  one  of  our  days  in  the  valley. 

To  begin  with  the  morning.  We  were  not  very  early 
risers  —  the  sun  would  be  shooting  his  golden  spikes 
above  the  Happar  mountain,  ere  I  threw  aside  my  tappa 
robe,  and  girding  my  long  tunic  about  my  waist,  sallied 
out  with  Fayaway  and  Kory-Kory,  and  the  rest  of  the 
household,  and  bent  my  steps  towards  the  stream. 
Here  we  found  congregated  all  those  who  dwelt  in  our 
section  of  the  valley ;  and  here  we  bathed  with  them. 
The  fresh  morning  air  and  the  cool  flowing  waters  put 
both  soul  and  body  in  a  glow,  and  after  a  half-hour  em 
ployed  in  this  recreation,  we  sauntered  back  to  the 
house  —  Tinor  and  Marheyo  gathering  dry  sticks  by 
the  way  for  fire-wood;  some  of  the  young  men  laying 
the  cocoa-nut  trees  under  contribution  as  they  passed 
beneath  them ;  while  Kory-Kory  played  his  outlandish 
pranks  for  my  particular  diversion,  and  Fayaway  and 
I,  not  arm  in  arm  to  be  sure,  but  sometimes  hand  in 
hand,  strolled  along,  with  feelings  of  perfect  charity 


220  TYPEE 

for  all  the  world,  and  especial  good-will  towards  each 
other. 

Our  morning  meal  was  soon  prepared.  The  islanders 
are  somewhat  abstemious  at  this  repast ;  reserving  the 
more  powerful  efforts  of  their  appetite  to  a  later  period 
of  the  day.  For  my  own  part,  with  the  assistance  of 
my  valet,  who,  as  I  have  before  stated,  always  officiated 
as  spoon  on  these  occasions,  I  ate  sparingly  from  one  of 
Tinor's  trenchers  of  poee-poee ;  which  was  devoted  ex 
clusively  for  my  own  use,  being  mixed  with  the  milky 
meat  of  ripe  cocoa-nut.  A  section  of  a  roasted  bread 
fruit,  a  small  cake  of  "  Amar,"  or  a  mess  of  "  Cokoo," 
two  or  three  bananas,  or  a  mammee-apple ;  an  annuee, 
or  some  other  agreeable  and  nutritious  fruit  served 
from  day  to  day  to  diversify  the  meal,  which  was  fin 
ished  by  tossing  off  the  liquid  contents  of  a  young 
cocoa-nut  or  two. 

While  partaking  of  this  simple  repast,  the  inmates  of 
Marheyo's  house,  after  the  style  of  the  indolent 
Romans,  reclined  in  sociable  groups  upon  the  divan  of 
mats,  and  digestion  was  promoted  by  cheerful  conver 
sation. 

After  the  morning  meal  was  concluded,  pipes  were 
lighted  ;  and  among  them  my  own  especial  pipe,  a  pres 
ent  from  the  noble  Mehevi.  The  islanders,  who  only 
smoke  a  whiff  or  two  at  a  time,  and  at  long  intervals, 
and  who  keep  their  pipes  going  from  hand  to  hand  con 
tinually,  regarded  my  systematic  smoking  of  four  or 
five  pipefuls  of  tobacco  in  succession,  as  something 
quite  wonderful.  When  two  or  three  pipes  had  cir 
culated  freely,  the  company  gradually  broke  up.  Mar- 
heyo  went  to  the  little  hut  he  was  forever  building. 
Tinor  began  to  inspect  her  rolls  of  tappa,  or  employed 


MORNING  OCCUPATIONS  221 

her  busy  fingers  in  plaiting  grass-mats.  The  girls 
anointed  themselves  with  their  fragrant  oils,  dressed  their 
hair,  or  looked  over  their  curious  finery,  and  compared 
together  their  ivory  trinkets,  fashioned  out  of  boar's 
tusks  or  whale's  teeth.  The  young  men  and  warriors 
produced  their  spears,  paddles,  canoe-gear,  battle-clubs, 
and  war-conchs,  and  occupied  themselves  in  carving  all 
sorts  of  figures  upon  them  with  pointed  bits  of  shell  or 
flint,  and  adorning  them,  especially  the  war-conchs,  with 
tassels  of  braided  bark  and  tufts  of  human  hair.  Some, 
immediately  after  eating,  threw  themselves  once  more 
upon  the  inviting  mats,  and  resumed  the  employment 
of  the  previous  night,  sleeping  as  soundly  as  if  they 
had  not  closed  their  eyes  for  a  week.  Others  sallied 
out  into  the  groves,  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  fruit 
or  fibres  of  bark  and  leaves  ;  the  last  two  being  in  con 
stant  requisition,  and  applied  to  a  hundred  uses.  A 
few,  perhaps,  among  the  girls,  would  slip  into  the  woods 
after  flowers,  or  repair  to  the  stream  with  small  cala 
bashes  and  cocoa-nut  shells,  in  order  to  polish  them  by 
friction  with  a  smooth  stone  in  the  water.  In  truth 
these  innocent  people  seemed  to  be  at  no  loss  for  some 
thing  to  occupy  their  time  ;  and  it  would  be  no  light 
task  to  enumerate  all  their  employments,  or  rather 
pleasures. 

My  own  mornings  I  spent  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
Sometimes  I  rambled  about  from  house  to  house,  sure 
of  receiving  a  cordial  welcome  wherever  I  went ;  or 
from  grove  to  grove,  and  from  one  shady  place  to  an 
other,  in  company  with  Kory-Kory  and  Fayaway,  and 
a  rabble  rout  of  merry  young  idlers.  Sometimes  I  was 
too  indolent  for  exercise,  and  accepting  one  of  the  many 
invitations  I  was  continually  receiving,  stretched  myself 


222  TYPES 

out  on  the  mats  of  some  hospitable  dwelling,  and 
occupied  myself  pleasantly  either  in  watching  the  pro 
ceedings  of  those  around  me,  or  taking  part  in  them 
myself.  Whenever  I  choose  to  do  the  latter,  the  delight 
of  the  islanders  was  boundless  ;  and  there  was  always 
a  throng  of  competitors  for  the  honour  of  instructing  me 
in  any  particular  craft.  I  soon  became  quite  an  accom 
plished  hand  at  making  tappa,  —  could  braid  a  grass 
sling  as  well  as  the  best  of  them,  —  and  once,  with  my 
knife,  carved  the  handle  of  a  javelin  so  exquisitely,  that 
I  have  no  doubt,  to  this  day,  Karnoonoo,  its  owner,  pre 
serves  it  as  a  surprising  specimen  of  my  skill.  As  noon 
approached,  all  those  who  had  wandered  forth  from  our 
habitation,  began  to  return ;  and  when  mid-day  was 
fairly  come,  scarcely  a  sound  was  to  be  heard  in  the 
valley :  a  deep  sleep  fell  upon  all.  The  luxurious  siesta 
was  hardly  ever  omitted,  except  by  old  Marheyo,  who 
was  so  eccentric  a  character,  that  he  seemed  to  be  gov 
erned  by  no  fixed  principles  whatever ;  but  acting  just 
according  to  the  humour  of  the  moment,  slept,  ate,  or 
tinkered  away  at  his  little  hut,  without  regard  to  the 
proprieties  of  time  or  place.  Frequently  he  might  have 
been  seen  taking  a  nap  in  the  sun  at  noon-day,  or  a  bath 
in  the  stream  at  midnight.  Once  I  beheld  him  perched 
eighty  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  tuft  of  a  cocoa-nut 
tree,  smoking ;  and  often  I  saw  him  standing  up  to  the 
waist  in  water,  engaged  in  plucking  out  the  stray  hairs 
of  his  beard,  using  a  piece  of  muscle-shell  for  tweezers. 
The  noon-tide  slumber  lasted  generally  an  hour  and 
a  half ;  very  often  longer ;  and  after  the  sleepers  had 
arisen  from  their  mats  they  again  had  recourse  to  their 
pipes,  and  then  made  preparations  for  the  most  impor 
tant  meal  of  the  day. 


EVENING  FESTIVITIES  223 

I,  however,  like  those  gentlemen  of  leisure  who 
breakfast  at  home  and  dine  at  their  club,  almost  invari 
ably,  during  my  intervals  of  health,  enjoyed  the  after 
noon  repast  with  the  bachelor  chiefs  of  the  Ti,  who  were 
always  rejoiced  to  see  me,  and  lavishly  spread  before 
me  all  the  good  things  which  their  larders  afforded. 
Mehevi  generally  produced  among  other  dainties  a 
baked  pig,  an  article  which  I  have  every  reason  to  sup 
pose  was  provided  for  my  sole  gratification. 

The  Ti  was  a  right  jovial  place.  It  did  my  heart,  as 
well  as  my  body,  good  to  visit  it.  Secure  from  female 
intrusion,  there  was  no  restraint  upon  the  hilarity  of 
the  warriors,  who,  like  the  gentlemen  of  Europe  after 
the  cloth  is  drawn  and  the  ladies  retire,  freely  indulged 
their  mirth. 

After  spending  a  considerable  portion  of  the  afternoon 
at  the  Ti,  I  usually  found  myself,  as  the  cool  of  the 
evening  came  on,  either  sailing  on  the  little  lake  with 
Fayaway,  or  bathing  in  the  waters  of  the  stream  with  a 
number  of  the  savages,  who,  at  this  hour,  always  repaired 
thither.  As  the  shadows  of  night  approached,  Marheyo's 
household  were  once  more  assembled  under  his  roof: 
tapers  were  lit,  long  and  curious  chants  were  raised, 
interminable  stories  were  told  (for  which  one  present 
was  little  the  wiser),  and  all  sorts  of  social  festivities 
served  to  while  away  the  time. 

The  young  girls  very  often  danced  by  moonlight  in 
front  of  their  dwellings.  There  are  a  great  variety  of 
these  dances,  in  which,  however,  I  never  saw  the  men 
take  part.  They  all  consist  of  active,  romping,  mis 
chievous  evolutions,  in  which  every  limb  is  brought 
into  requisition.  Indeed,  the  Marquesan  girls  dance  all 
over,  as  it  were ;  not  only  do  their  feet  dance,  but  their 


224  TYPEE 

arms,  hands,  fingers,  ay,  their  very  eyes,  seem  to  dance 
in  their  heads.  In  good  sooth,  they  so  sway  their  float 
ing  forms,  arch  their  necks,  toss  aloft  their  naked  arms, 
and  glide,  and  swim,  and  whirl,  that  it  was  almost  too 
much  for  a  quiet,  sober-minded,  modest  young  man  like 
myself. 

The  damsels  wear  nothing  but  flowers  and  their  com 
pendious  gala  tunics ;  and  when  they  plume  themselves 
for  the  dance,  they  look  like  a  band  of  olive-coloured 
Sylphides  on  the  point  of  taking  wing. 

Unless  some  particular  festivity  was  going  forward, 
the  inmates  of  Marheyo's  house  retired  to  their  mats 
rather  early  in  the  evening;  but  not  for  the  night, 
since,  after  slumbering  lightly  for  a  while,  they  rose 
again,  relit  their  tapers,  partook  of  the  third  and  last 
meal  of  the  day,  at  which  poee-poee  alone  was  eaten, 
and  then  after  inhaling  a  narcotic  whiff  from  a  pipe 
of  tobacco,  disposed  themselves  for  the  great  business  of 
night,  sleep.  With  the  Marquesans  it  might  almost  be 
styled  the  great  business  of  life,  for  they  pass  a  large 
portion  of  their  time  in  the  arms  of  Somnus.  The 
native  strength  of  their  constitutions  is  no  way  shown 
more  emphatically  than  in  the  quantity  of  sleep  they 
can  endure.  To  many  of  them,  indeed,  life  is  little  else 
than  an  often  interrupted  and  luxurious  nap. 


MINEEAL   WATERS  225 


CHAPTER  XXL 

The  Spring   of  Arva    Wai  —  Remarkable   Monumental   Remains  — 
Some  Ideas  with  regard  to  the  History  of  Pi-pis  found  in  the  Valley. 

ALMOST  every  country  has  its  medicinal  springs  famed 
for  their  healing  virtues.  The  Cheltenham  of  Typee  is 
embosomed  in  the  deepest  solitude,  and  but  seldom  re 
ceives  a  visitor.  It  is  situated  remote  from  any  dwell 
ing,  a  little  way  up  the  mountain,  near  the  head  of  the 
valley ;  and  you  approach  it  by  a  pathway  shaded  by 
the  most  beautiful  foliage  and  adorned  with  a  thousand 
fragrant  plants. 

The  mineral  waters  of  Arva  Wai l  ooze  forth  from  the 
crevices  of  a  rock,  and  gliding  down  its  mossy  side,  fall 
at  last,  in  many  clustering  drops,  into  a  natural  basin  of 
stone  fringed  round  with  grass  and  dewy-looking  little 
violet-coloured  flowers,  as  fresh  and  beautiful  as  the  per 
petual  moisture  they  enjoy  can  make  them. 

The  water  is  held  in  high  estimation  by  the  islanders, 
some  of  whom  consider  it  an  agreeable  as  well  as  a 
medicinal  beverage ;  they  bring  it  from  the  mountain 
in  their  calabashes,  and  store  it  away  beneath  heaps  of 
leaves  in  some  shady  nook  near  the  house.  Old  Mar- 
heyo  had  a  great  love  for  the  waters  of  the  spring. 
Every  now  and  then  he  lugged  off  to  the  mountain  a 
great  round  demijohn  of  a  calabash,  and  panting  with 

1  I  presume  this  might  be  translated  into  "  Strong  Waters."  Arva 
is  the  name  bestowed  upon  a  root  the  properties  of  which  are  both 
inebriating  and  medicinal.  "  Wai "  is  the  Marquesan  wprtf  for  water. 


226  TTPEE 

his  exertions,  brought  it  back  filled  with  his  darling 
fluid. 

The  water  tasted  like  a  solution  of  a  dozen  disagreea 
ble  things,  and  was  sufficiently  nauseous  to  have  made 
the  fortune  of  the  proprietor,  had  the  spa  been  situated 
in  the  midst  of  any  civilised  community. 

As  I  am  no  chemist,  I  cannot  give  a  scientific  anal 
ysis  of  the  water.  All  I  know  about  the  matter  is, 
that  one  day  Marheyo  in  my  presence  poured  out  the 
last  drop  from  his  huge  calabash,  and  I  observed  at 
the  bottom  of  the  vessel  a  small  quantity  of  gravelly 
sediment  very  much  resembling  our  common  sand. 
Whether  this  is  always  found  in  the  water,  and  gives 
it  its  peculiar  flavour  and  virtues,  or  whether  its 
presence  was  merely  incidental,  I  was  not  able  to 
ascertain. 

One  day  in  returning  from  this  spring  by  a  cir 
cuitous  path,  I  came  upon  a  scene  which  reminded 
me  of  Stonehenge  and  the  architectural  labours  of  the 
Druids. 

At  the  base  of  one  of  the  mountains,  and  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  dense  groves,  a  series  of  vast  terraces  of 
stone  rises,  step  by  step,  for  a  considerable  distance  up 
the  hill  side.  These  terraces  cannot  be  less  than  one 
hundred  yards  in  length  and  twenty  in  width.  Their 
magnitude,  however,  is  less  striking  than  the  immense 
size  of  the  blocks  composing  them.  Some  of  the  stones, 
of  an  oblong  shape,  are  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  length, 
and  five  or  six  feet  thick.  Their  sides  are  quite  smooth, 
but  though  square,  and  of  pretty  regular  formation,  they 
bear  no  mark  of  the  chisel.  They  are  laid  together 
without  cement,  and  here  and  there  show  gaps  between. 
The  topmost  terrace  and  the  lower  one  are  somewhat 


ANTIQUITIES  227 

peculiar  in  their  construction.  They  have  both  a  quad 
rangular  depression  in  the  centre,  leaving  the  rest  of 
the  terrace  elevated  several  feet  above  it.  In  the  inter 
vals  of  the  stones  immense  trees  have  taken  root,  and 
their  broad  boughs  stretching  far  over,  and  interlacing 
together,  support  a  canopy  almost  impenetrable  to  the 
sun.  Overgrowing  the  greater  part  of  them,  and  climb 
ing  from  one  to  another,  is  a  wilderness  of  vines,  in 
whose  sinewy  embrace  many  of  the  stones  lie  half  hid 
den,  while  in  some  places  a  thick  growth  of  bushes  en 
tirely  covers  them.  There  is  a  wild  pathway  which 
obliquely  crosses  two  of  these  terraces ;  and  so  profound 
is  the  shade,  so  dense  the  vegetation,  that  a  stranger  to 
the  place  might  pass  along  it  without  being  aware  of 
their  existence. 

These  structures  bear  every  indication  of  a  very  high 
antiquity,  and  Kory-Kory,  who  was  my  authority  in  all 
matters  of  scientific  research,  gave  me  to  understand 
that  they  were  coeval  with  the  creation  of  the  world ; 
that  the  great  gods  themselves  were  the  builders ;  and 
that  they  would  endure  until  time  shall  be  no  more. 
Kory-Kory 's  prompt  explanation,  and  his  attributing 
the  work  to  a  divine  origin,  at  once  convinced  me  that 
neither  he  nor  the  rest  of  his  countrymen  knew  anything 
about  them. 

As  I  gazed  upon  this  monument,  doubtless  the  work 
of  an  extinct  and  forgotten  race,  thus  buried  in  the 
green  nook  of  an  island  at  the  ends  of  the  earth,  the  ex 
istence  of  which  was  yesterday  unknown,  a  stronger 
feeling  of  awe  came  over  me  than  if  I  had  stood  musing 
at  the  mighty  base  of  the  Pyramid  of  Cheops.  There  are 
no  inscriptions,  no  sculpture,  no  clew,  by  which  to  con 
jecture  its  history :  nothing  but  the  dumb  stones.  How 


228  TYPES 

many  generations  of  those  majestic  trees  which  over 
shadow  them  have  grown  and  flourished  and  decayed 
since  first  they  were  erected ! 

These  remains  naturally  suggest  many  interesting  re 
flections.  They  establish  the  great  age  of  the  island, 
an  opinion  which  the  builders  of  theories  concerning  the 
creation  of  the  various  groups  in  the  South  Seas  are  not 
always  inclined  to  admit.  For  my  own  part,  I  think  it 
just  as  probable  that  human  beings  were  living  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Marquesas  three  thousand  years  ago  as 
that  they  were  inhabiting  the  land  of  Egypt.  The  ori 
gin  of  the  island  of  Nukuheva  cannot  be  imputed  to 
the  coral  insect;  for  indefatigable  as  that  wonderful 
creature  is,  it  would  be  hardly  muscular  enough  to 
pile  rocks  one  upon  the  other  more  than  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  That  the  land  may 
have  been  thrown  up  by  a  submarine  volcano  is  as  pos 
sible  as  anything  else.  No  one  can  make  an  affidavit  to 
the  contrary,  and  therefore  I  will  say  nothing  against  the 
supposition :  indeed,  were  geologists  to  assert  that 
the  whole  continent  of  America  had  in  like  manner  been 
formed  by  the  simultaneous  explosion  of  a  train  of 
Etnas  laid  under  the  water  all  the  way  from  the  North 
Pole  to  the  parallel  of  Cape  Horn,  I  am  the  last  man  in 
the  world  to  contradict  them. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  dwellings  of  the 
islanders  were  almost  invariably  built  upon  massive  stone 
foundations,  which  they  call  pi-pis.  The  dimensions  of 
these,  however,  as  well  as  of  the  stones  composing  them, 
are  comparatively  small :  but  there  are  other  and  larger 
erections  of  a  similar  description  comprising  the  "  mo- 
rais,"  or  burying-grounds,  and  festival-places,  in  nearly 
all  the  valleys  of  the  island.  Some  of  these  piles  are  so 


THE  BUILDERS  OF  THE  PI-PIS  229 

extensive,  and  so  great  a  degree  of  labour  and  skill 
must  have  been  requisite  in  constructing  them,  that  I 
can  scarcely  believe  they  were  built  by  the  ancestors  of 
the  present  inhabitants.  If  indeed  they  were,  the  race 
has  sadly  deteriorated  in  their  knowledge  of  the  me 
chanic  arts.  To  say  nothing  of  their  habitual  indo 
lence,  by  what  contrivance  within  the  reach  of  so  sim 
ple  a  people  could  such  enormous  masses  have  been 
moved  or  fixed  in  their  places?  and  how  could  they 
with  their  rude  implements  have  chiselled  and  hammered 
them  into  shape. 

All  of  these  larger  pi-pis  —  like  that  of  the  Hoolah 
Hoolah  ground  in  the  Typee  valley  —  bore  incontesta 
ble  marks  of  great  age ;  and  I  am  disposed  to  believe 
that  their  erection  may  be  ascribed  to  the  same  race  of 
men  who  were  the  builders  of  the  still  more  ancient  re 
mains  I  have  just  described. 

According  to  Kory-Kory's  account,  the  pi-pi  upon 
which  stands  the  Hoolah  Hoolah  ground  was  built  a  great 
many  moons  ago,  under  the  direction  of  Monoo,  a  great 
chief  and  warrior,  and,  as  it  would  appear,  master-mason 
among  the  Typees.  It  was  erected  for  the  express  pur 
pose  to  which  it  is  at  present  devoted,  in  the  incredibly 
short  period  of  one  sun ;  and  was  dedicated  to  the  im 
mortal  wooden  idols  by  a  grand  festival,  which  lasted 
ten  days  and  nights. 

Among  the  smaller  pi-pis,  upon  which  stand  the 
dwelling-houses  of  the  natives,  I  never  observed  any 
which  intimated  a  recent  erection.  There  are  in  every 
part  of  the  valley  a  great  many  of  these  massive  stone 
foundations  which  have  no  houses  upon  them.  This  is 
vastly  convenient,  for  whenever  an  enterprising  islander 
chooses  to  emigrate  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  place 


230  TYPES 

where  he  was  born,  all  he  has  to  do  in  order  to  estal> 
lish  himself  in  some  new  locality,  is  to  select  one  of 
the  many  unappropriated  pi-pis,  and  without  further 
ceremony  pitch  his  bamboo  tent  upon  it. 


A  FAVOURITE  HAUNT  231 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Preparations  for  a  Grand  Festival  in  the  Valley  —  Strange  Doings  in 
the  Taboo  Groves  —  Monument  of  Calabashes  —  Gala  Costume  of 
the  Typee  Damsels  —  Departure  for  the  Festival. 

FKOM  the  time  that  my  lameness  had  decreased,  I 
had  made  a  daily  practice  of  visiting  Mehevi  at  the 
Ti,  who  invariably  gave  me  a  most  cordial  reception. 
I  was  always  accompanied  in  these  excursions  by  Faya- 
way  and  the  ever-present  Kory-Kory.  The  former,  as 
soon  as  we  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  Ti  —  which 
was  rigorously  tabooed  to  the  whole  female  sex  —  with 
drew  to  a  neighbouring  hut,  as  if  her  feminine  delicacy 
restrained  her  from  approaching  a  habitation  which 
might  be  regarded  as  a  sort  of  Bachelor's  Hall. 

And  in  good  truth  it  might  well  have  been  so  con 
sidered.  Although  it  was  the  permanent  residence  of 
several  distinguished  chiefs,  and  of  the  noble  Mehevi 
in  particular,  it  was  still  at  certain  seasons  the  favourite 
haunt  of  all  the  jolly,  talkative,  and  elderly  savages  of 
the  vale,  who  resorted  thither  in  the  same  way  that 
similar  characters  frequent  a  tavern  in  civilized  coun 
tries.  There  they  would  remain  hour  after  hour,  chat 
ting,  smoking,  eating  poee-poee,  or  busily  engaged  in 
sleeping  for  the  good  of  their  constitutions. 

This  building  appeared  to  be  the  head-quarters  of 
the  valley,  where  all  flying  rumours  concentrated ;  and 
to  have  seen  it  filled  with  a  crowd  of  the  natives,  all 
males,  conversing:  in  animated  clusters,  while  multitudes 


232  TYPEE 

were  continually  coming  and  going,  one  would  hare 
thought  it  a  kind  of  savage  Exchange,  where  the  rise 
and  fall  of  Polynesian  Stock  was  discussed. 

Mehevi  acted  as  supreme  lord  over  the  place,  spend 
ing  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  there :  and  often 
when,  at  particular  hours  of  the  day,  it  was  deserted  by 
nearly  every  one  else  except  the  verd-antique  looking 
centenarians,  who  were  fixtures  in  the  building,  the 
chief  himself  was  sure  to  be  found  enjoying  his 
"  otium  cum  dignitate  "  upon  the  luxurious  mats  which 
covered  the  floor.  Whenever  I  made  my  appearance 
he  invariably  rose,  and,  like  a  gentleman  doing  the 
honours  of  his  mansion,  invited  me  to  repose  myself 
wherever  I  pleased,  and  calling  out  "  tamaree  !  "  (boy), 
a  little  fellow  would  appear,  and  then  retiring  for  an 
instant,  return  with  some  savoury  mess,  from  which  the 
chief  would  press  me  to  regale  myself.  To  tell  the 
truth,  Mehevi  was  indebted  to  the  excellence  of  his 
viands  for  the  honour  of  my  repeated  visits,  —  a  matter 
which  cannot  appear  singular,  when  it  is  borne  in 
mind  that  bachelors,  all  the  world  over,  are  famous  for 
serving  up  unexceptionable  repasts. 

One  day,  on  drawing  near  to  the  Ti,  I  observed  that 
extensive  preparations  were  going  forward,  plainly  be 
tokening  some  approaching  festival.  Some  of  the 
symptoms  reminded  me  of  the  stir  produced  among 
the  scullions  of  a  large  hotel,  where  a  grand  jubilee 
dinner  is  about  to  be  given.  The  natives  were  hurry 
ing  about  hither  and  thither,  engaged  in  various  duties ; 
some  lugging  off  to  the  stream  enormous  hollow  bam 
boos,  for  the  purpose  of  filling  them  with  water ;  others 
chasing  furious-looking  hogs  through  the  bushes,  in 
their  endeavours  to  capture  them;  and  numbers  em* 


A  FESTIVAL  233 

ployed  in  kneading  great  mountains  of  poee-poee 
heaped  up  in  huge  wooden  vessels. 

After  observing  these  lively  indications  for  a  while,  I 
was  attracted  to  a  neighbouring  grove  by  a  prodigious 
squeaking  which  I  heard  there.  On  reaching  the  spot 
I  found  it  proceeded  from  a  large  hog  which  a  number 
of  natives  were  forcibly  holding  to  the  earth,  while  a 
muscular  fellow,  armed  with  a  bludgeon,  was  ineffectu 
ally  aiming  murderous  blows  at  the  skull  of  the  unfor 
tunate  porker.  Again  and  again  he  missed  his  writhing 
and  struggling  victim,  but  though  puffing  and  panting 
with  his  exertions,  he  still  continued  them ;  and  after 
striking  a  sufficient  number  of  blows  to  have  demolished 
an  entire  drove  of  oxen,  with  one  crashing  stroke  he 
laid  him  dead  at  his  feet. 

Without  letting  any  blood  from  the  body,  it  was 
immediately  carried  to  a  fire  which  had  been  kindled 
near  at  hand,  and  four  savages  taking  hold  of  the  car 
cass  by  its  legs,  passed  it  rapidly  to  and  fro  in  the 
flames.  In  a  moment  the  smell  of  burning  bristles 
betrayed  the  object  of  this  procedure.  Having  got  thus 
far  in  the  matter,  the  body  was  removed  to  a  little  dis 
tance  ;  and,  being  disembowelled,  the  entrails  were  laid 
aside  as  choice  parts,  and  the  whole  carcass  thoroughly 
washed  with  water.  An  ample  thick  green  cloth,  com 
posed  of  the  long  thick  leaves  of  a  species  of  palm- 
tree,  ingeniously  tacked  together  with  little  pins  of 
bamboo,  was  now  spread  upon  the  ground,  in  which 
the  body  being  carefully  rolled,  it  was  borne  to  an 
oven  previously  prepared  to  receive  it.  Here  it  was  at 
once  laid  upon  the  heated  stones  at  the  bottom,  and 
covered  with  thick  layers  of  leaves,  the  whole  being 
quickly  hidden  from  sight  by  a  mound  of  earth  raised 
over  il. 


234  TTPEE 

Such  is  the  summary  style  in  which  the  Typees 
convert  perverse-minded  and  rebellious  hogs  into  the 
most  docile  and  amiable  pork ;  a  morsel  of  which  placed 
on  the  tongue  melts  like  a  soft  smile  from  the  lips  of 
Beauty. 

I  commend  their  peculiar  mode  of  proceeding  to  the 
consideration  of  all  butchers,  cooks,  and  housewives. 
The  hapless  porker  whose  fate  I  have  just  rehearsed, 
was  not  the  only  one  who  suffered  on  that  memorable 
day.  Many  a  dismal  grunt,  many  an  imploring  squeak, 
proclaimed  what  was  going  on  throughout  the  whole 
extent  of  the  valley  ;  and  I  verily  believe  the  first-born 
of  every  litter  perished  before  the  setting  of  that  fatal 
sun. 

The  scene  around  the  Ti  was  now  most  animated. 
Hogs  and  poee-poee  were  baking  in  numerous  ovens, 
which,  heaped  up  with  fresh  earth  into  slight  eleva 
tions,  looked  like  so  many  ant-hills.  Scores  of  the 
savages  were  vigorously  plying  their  stone  pestles  in 
preparing  masses  of  poee-poee,  and  numbers  were 
gathering  green  bread-fruit  and  young  cocoa-nuts  in 
the  surrounding  groves  ;  while  an  exceeding  great 
multitude,  with  a  view  of  encouraging  the  rest  in  their 
labours,  stood  still,  and  kept  shouting  most  lustily 
without  intermission. 

It  is  a  peculiarity  among  these  people,  that  when 
engaged  in  any  employment  they  always  make  a  pro 
digious  fuss  about  it.  So  seldom  do  they  ever  exert 
themselves,  that  when  they  do  work  they  seem  de 
termined  that  so  meritorious  an  action  shall  not  escape 
the  observation  of  those  around.  If,  for  example,  they 
have  occasion  to  remove  a  stone  to  a  little  distance, 
which  perhaps  might  be  carried  by  two  able-bodied 


THROUGH    THE  TABOO   GROVES  236 

men,  a  whole  swarm  gather  about  it,  and,  after  a  vast 
deal  of  palavering,  lift  it  up  among  them,  every  one 
struggling  to  get  hold  of  it,  and  bear  it  off  yelling  and 
panting  as  if  accomplishing  some  mighty  achievement. 
Seeing  them  on  these  occasions,  one  is  reminded  of  an 
infinity  of  black  ants  clustering  about  and  dragging 
away  to  some  hole  the  leg  of  a  deceased  fly. 

Having  for  some  time  attentively  observed  these 
demonstrations  of  good  cheer,  I  entered  the  Ti,  where 
Mehevi  sat  complacently  looking  out  upon  the  busy 
scene,  and  occasionally  issuing  his  orders.  The  chief 
appeared  to  be  in  an  extraordinary  flow  of  spirits,  and 
gave  me  to  understand  that  on  the  morrow  there  would 
be  grand  doings  in  the  Groves  generally,  and  at  the  Ti 
in  particular;  and  urged  me  by  no  means  to  absent 
myself.  In  commemoration  of  what  event,  however, 
or  in  honour  of  what  distinguished  personage,  the  feast 
was  to  be  given,  altogether  passed  my  comprehension. 
Mehevi  sought  to  enlighten  my  ignorance,  but  he  failed 
as  signally  as  when  he  had  endeavoured  to  initiate  me 
into  the  perplexing  arcana  of  the  taboo. 

On  leaving  the  Ti,  Kory-Kory,  who  had  as  a  matter 
of  course  accompanied  me,  observing  that  my  curiosity 
remained  unabated,  resolved  to  make  everything  plain 
and  satisfactory.  With  this  intent,  he  escorted  me 
through  the  Taboo  Groves,  pointing  out  to  my  notice  a 
variety  of  objects,  and  endeavoured  to  explain  them  in 
such  an  indescribable  jargon  of  words,  that  it  almost 
put  me  in  bodily  pain  to  listen  to  him.  In  particular, 
he  led  me  to  a  remarkable  pyramidical  structure  some 
three  yards  square  at  the  base,  and  perhaps  ten  feet  in 
height,  which  had  lately  been  thrown  up,  and  occupied 
a  very  conspicuous  position.  It  was  composed  princi- 


286  TTPEE 

pally  of  large  empty  calabashes,  with  a  few  polished 
cocoa-nut  shells,  and  looked  not  unlike  a  cenotaph  of 
skulls.  My  cicerone  perceived  the  astonishment  with 
which  I  gazed  at  this  monument  of  savage  crockery, 
and  immediately  addressed  himself  to  the  task  of 
enlightening  me  :  but  all  in  vain ;  and  to  this  hour  the 
nature  of  the  monument  remains  a  complete  mystery 
to  me.  As,  however,  it  formed  so  prominent  a  feature 
in  the  approaching  revels,  I  bestowed  upon  the  latter, 
in  my  own  mind,  the  title  of  the  "  Feast  of  Cala 
bashes." 

The  following  morning,  awaking  rather  late,  I  per 
ceived  the  whole  of  Marheyo's  family  busily  engaged 
in  preparing  for  the  festival.  The  old  warrior  himself 
was  arranging  in  round  balls  the  two  grey  locks  of  hair 
that  were  suffered  to  grow  from  the  crown  of  his  head ; 
his  earrings  and  spear,  both  well  polished,  lay  beside 
him,  while  the  highly  decorative  pair  of  shoes  hung 
suspended  from  a  projecting  cane  against  the  side  of 
the  house.  The  young  men  were  similarly  employed ; 
and  the  fair  damsels,  including  Fayaway,  were  anoint 
ing  themselves  with  "  aka,"  arranging  their  long  tresses, 
and  performing  other  matters  connected  with  the  duties 
of  the  toilet. 

Having  completed  their  preparations,  the  girls  now 
exhibited  themselves  in  gala  costume ;  the  most  con 
spicuous  feature  of  which  was  a  necklace  of  beautiful 
white  flowers,  with  the  stems  removed,  and  strung 
closely  together  upon  a  single  fibre  of  tappa.  Corre 
sponding  ornaments  were  inserted  in  their  ears,  and 
woven  garlands  upon  their  heads.  About  their  waist 
they  wore  a  short  tunic  of  spotless  white  tappa,  and 
some  of  them  superadded  to  this  a  mantle  of  the  same 


GALA   COSTUME  237 

material,  tied  in  an  elaborate  bow  upon  the  left  shoul 
der,  and  falling  about  the  figure  in  picturesque  folds. 

Thus  arrayed,  I  would  have  matched  the  charming 
Fayaway  against  any  beauty  in  the  world. 

People  may  say  what  they  will  about  the  taste  evinced 
by  our  fashionable  ladies  in  dress.  Their  jewels,  their 
feathers,  their  silks,  and  their  furbelows  would  have 
sunk  into  utter  insignificance  beside  the  exquisite  sim 
plicity  of  attire  adopted  by  the  nymphs  of  the  vale  on 
this  festive  occasion.  I  should  like  to  have  seen  a  gal 
lery  of  coronation  beauties,  at  Westminster  Abbey,  con 
fronted  for  a  moment  by  this  band  of  Island  girls ;  their 
stiffness,  formality,  and  affectation  contrasted  with  the 
artless  vivacity  and  unconcealed  natural  graces  of  these 
savage  maidens.  It  would  be  the  Venus  de'  Medici 
placed  beside  a  milliner's  doll. 

It  was  not  long  before  Kory-Kory  and  myself  were 
left  alone  in  the  house,  the  rest  of  its  inmates  having 
departed  for  the  Taboo  Groves.  My  valet  was  all  im 
patience  to  follow  them ;  and  was  as  fidgety  about  my 
dilatory  movements  as  a  diner  out  waiting  hat  in  hand 
at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  for  some  lagging  companion. 
At  last,  yielding  to  his  importunities,  I  set  out  for  the 
Ti.  As  we  passed  the  houses  peeping  out  from  the 
groves  through  which  our  route  lay,  I  noticed  that  they 
were  entirely  deserted  by  their  inhabitants. 

When  we  reached  the  rock  that  abruptly  terminated 
the  path,  and  concealed  from  us  the  festive  scene,  wild 
shouts  and  a  confused  blending  of  voices  assured  me 
that  the  occasion,  whatever  it  might  be,  had  drawn 
together  a  great  multitude.  Kory-Kory,  previous  to 
mounting  the  elevation,  paused  for  a  moment,  like  a 
dandy  at  a  ballroom  door,  to  put  a  hasty  finish  to  his 


238  TTPEE 

toilet.  During  this  short  interval,  the  thought  struck 
me  that  I  ought  myself  perhaps  to  be  taking  some  little 
pains  with  my  appearance.  But  as  I  had  no  holiday 
raiment,  I  was  not  a  little  puzzled  to  devise  some  means 
of  decorating  myself.  However,  as  I  felt  desirous  to 
create  a  sensation,  I  determined  to  do  all  that  lay  in  my 
power ;  and  knowing  that  I  could  not  delight  the  sav 
ages  more  than  by  conforming  to  their  style  of  dress,  I 
removed  from  my  person  the  large  robe  of  tappa  which 
I  was  accustomed  to  wear  over  my  shoulders  whenever 
I  sallied  into  the  open  air,  and  remained  merely  girt 
about  with  a  short  tunic  descending  from  my  waist  to 
my  knees. 

My  quick-witted  attendant  fully  appreciated  the  com 
pliment  I  was  paying  to  the  costume  of  his  race,  and 
began  more  sedulously  to  arrange  the  folds  of  the  one 
only  garment  which  remained  to  me.  Whilst  he  was 
doing  this,  I  caught  sight  of  a  knot  of  young  lasses, 
who  were  sitting  near  us  on  the  grass  surrounded  by 
heaps  of  flowers  which  they  were  forming  into  garlands. 
I  motioned  to  them  to  bring  some  of  their  handiwork 
to  me  ;  and  in  an  instant  a  dozen  wreaths  were  at  my 
disposal.  One  of  them  I  put  round  the  apology  for  a 
hat  which  I  had  been  forced  to  construct  for  myself  out 
of  palmetto-leaves,  and  some  of  the  others  I  converted 
into  a  splendid  girdle.  These  operations  finished,  with 
the  slow  and  dignified  step  of  a  full-dressed  beau  I 
ascended  the  rock. 


THE  FEAST  OF  CALABASHES  239 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Feast  of  Calabashes. 

THE  whole  population  of  the  valley  seemed  to  be 
gathered  within  the  precincts  of  the  grove.  In  the  dis 
tance  could  be  seen  the  long  front  of  the  Ti,  its 
immense  piazza  swarming  with  men,  arrayed  in  every 
variety  of  fantastic  costume,  and  all  vociferating  with 
animated  gestures ;  while  the  whole  interval  between  it 
and  the  place  where  I  stood  was  enlivened  by  groups  of 
females  fancifully  decorated,  dancing,  capering,  and 
uttering  wild  exclamations.  As  soon  as  they  descried 
me  they  set  up  a  shout  of  welcome ;  and  a  band  of 
them  came  dancing  towards  me  chanting  as  they  ap 
proached  some  wild  recitative.  The  change  in  my  garb 
seemed  to  transport  them  with  delight,  and  clustering 
about  me  on  all  sides,  they  accompanied  me  towards  the 
Ti.  When,  however,  we  drew  near  it  these  joyous 
nymphs  paused  in  their  career,  and  parting  on  either 
side,  permitted  me  to  pass  on  to  the  now  densely 
thronged  building. 

So  soon  as  I  mounted  to  the  pi-pi  I  saw  at  a  glance 
that  the  revels  were  fairly  under  way. 

What  lavish  plenty  reigned  around !  Warwick  feast 
ing  his  retainers  with  beef  and  ale  was  a  niggard  to  the 
noble  Mehevi !  All  along  the  piazza  of  the  Ti  were 
arranged  elaborately  carved  canoe-shaped  vessels,  some 
twenty  feet  in  length,  filled  with  newly  made  poee-poee, 


240  TTPEE 

and  sheltered  from  the  sun  by  the  broad  leaves  of  the 
banana.  At  intervals  were  heaps  of  green  bread-fruit, 
raised  in  pyramidical  stacks,  resembling  the  regular 
piles  of  heavy  shot  to  be  seen  in  the  yard  of  an  arsenal. 
Inserted  into  the  interstices  of  the  huge  stones  which 
formed  the  pi-pi  were  large  boughs  of  trees;  hanging 
from  the  branches  of  which,  and  screened  from  the  sun 
by  their  foliage,  were  innumerable  little  packages  with 
leafy  coverings,  containing  the  meat  of  the  numerous 
hogs  which  had  been  slain,  done  up  in  this  manner  to 
make  it  more  accessible  to  the  crowd.  Leaning  against 
the  railing  of  the  piazza  were  an  immense  number  of 
long,  heavy  bamboos,  plugged  at  the  lower  end,  and 
with  their  projecting  muzzles  stuffed  with  a  wad  of 
leaves.  These  were  filled  with  water  from  the  stream, 
and  each  of  them  might  hold  from  four  to  five  gallons. 

The  banquet  being  thus  spread,  nought  remained  but 
for  every  one  to  help  himself  at  his  pleasure.  Accord 
ingly  not  a  moment  passed  but  the  transplanted  boughs 
I  have  mentioned  were  rifled  by  the  throng  of  the  fruit 
they  certainly  had  never  borne  before.  Calabashes  of 
poee-poee  were  continually  being  replenished  from  the 
extensive  receptacle  in  which  that  article  was  stored, 
and  multitudes  of  little  fires  were  kindled  about  the  Ti 
for  the  purpose  of  roasting  the  bread-fruit. 

Within  the  building  itself  was  presented  a  most  ex 
traordinary  scene.  The  immense  lounge  of  mats  lying 
between  the  parallel  rows  of  the  trunks  of  cocoa-nut 
trees,  and  extending  the  entire  length  of  the  house,  at 
least  two  hundred  feet,  was  covered  by  the  reclining 
forms  of  a  host  of  chiefs  and  warriors,  who  were  eating 
at  a  great  rate,  or  soothing  the  cares  of  Polynesian  life 
in  the  sedative  fumes  of  tobacco.  The  smoke  was  in- 


THE  TOBACCO  OF  THE  TTPEE8  241 

haled  from  large  pipes,  the  bowls  of  which,  made  out  of 
small  cocoa-nut  shells,  were  curiously  carved  in  strange 
heathenish  devices.  These  were  passed  from  mouth  to 
mouth  by  the  recumbent  smokers,  who,  taking  two  or 
three  prodigious  whiffs,  handed  the  pipe  to  his  neigh 
bour  ;  sometimes  for  that  purpose  stretching  indolently 
across  the  body  of  some  dozing  individual  whose  exer 
tions  at  the  dinner-table  had  already  induced  sleep. 

The  tobacco  used  among  the  Typees  was  of  a  very 
mild  and  pleasing  flavour,  and  as  I  always  saw  it  in 
leaves,  and  the  natives  appeared  pretty  well  supplied 
with  it,  I  was  led  to  believe  that  it  must  have  been  the 
growth  of  the  valley.  Indeed  Kory-Kory  gave  me  to 
understand  that  this  was  the  case ;  but  I  never  saw  a 
single  plant  growing  on  the  island.  At  Nukuheva,  and, 
I  believe,  in  all  the  other  valleys,  the  weed  is  very 
scarce,  being  only  obtained  in  small  quantities  from 
foreigners,  and  smoking  is  consequently  with  the  inhab 
itants  of  these  places  a  very  great  luxury.  How  it  was 
that  the  Typees  were  so  well  furnished  with  it  I  cannot 
divine.  I  should  think  them  too  indolent  to  devote  any 
attention  to  its  culture ;  and,  indeed,  as  far  as  my  obser 
vation  extended,  not  a  single  atom  of  the  soil  was  under 
any  other  cultivation  than  that  of  shower  and  sunshine. 
The  tobacco  plant,  however,  like  the  sugar-cane,  may 
grow  wild  in  some  remote  part  of  the  vale. 

There  were  many  in  the  Ti  for  whom  the  tobacco 
did  not  furnish  a  sufficient  stimulus,  and  who  accord 
ingly  had  recourse  to  "arva,"  as  a  more  powerful  agent 
in  producing  the  desired  effect. 

"  Arva"  is  a  root  very  generally  dispersed  over  the 
South  Seas,  and  from  it  is  extracted  a  juice,  the  effects 
of  which  upon  the  system  are  at  first  stimulating  in  a 


242  TYPEE 

moderate  degree ;  but  it  soon  relaxes  the  muscles,  and 
exerting  a  narcotic  influence  produces  a  luxurious 
sleep.  In  the  valley  this  beverage  was  universally  pre 
pared  in  the  following  way :  —  Some  half-dozen  young 
boys  seated  themselves  in  a  circle  around  an  empty 
wooden  vessel,  each  one  of  them  being  supplied  with  a 
certain  quantity  of  the  roots  of  the  "arva,"  broken  into 
small  bits  and  laid  by  his  side.  A  cocoa-nut  goblet 
of  water  was  passed  around  the  juvenile  company, 
who  rinsing  their  mouths  with  its  contents,  proceeded 
to  the  business  before  them.  This  merely  consisted  in 
thoroughly  masticating  the  "arva,"  and  throwing  it 
mouthful  after  mouthful  into  the  receptacle  provided. 
When  a  sufficient  quantity  had  been  thus  obtained 
water  was  poured  upon  the  mass,  and  being  stirred 
about  with  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand,  the  prepa 
ration  was  soon  in  readiness  for  use.  The  "arva  "  has 
medicinal  qualities. 

Upon  the  Sandwich  Islands  it  has  been  employed 
with  no  small  success  in  the  treatment  of  scrofulous 
affections,  and  in  combating  the  ravages  of  a  disease 
for  whose  frightful  inroads  the  ill-starred  inhabitants  of 
that  group  are  indebted  to  their  foreign  benefactors. 
But  the  tenants  of  the  Typee  valley,  as  yet  exempt  from 
these  inflictions,  generally  employ  the  "arva"  as  a 
minister  to  social  enjoyment,  and  a  calabash  of  the 
liquid  circulates  among  them  as  the  bottle  with  us. 

Mehevi,  who  was  greatly  delighted  with  the  change 
in  my  costume,  gave  me  a  cordial  welcome.  He  had 
reserved  for  me  a  most  delectable  mess  of  "cokoo,"  well 
knowing  my  partiality  for  that  dish ;  and  had  likewise 
selected  three  or  four  young  cocoa-nuts,  several  roasted 
bread-fruit,  and  a  magnificent  bunch  of  bananas,  for  my 


THE  SECOND  DAY  OF  THE  FEAST  243 

especial  comfort  and  gratification.  These  various  mat 
ters  were  at  once  placed  before  me;  but  Kory-Kory 
deemed  the  banquet  entirely  insufficient  for  my  wants 
until  he  had  supplied  me  with  one  of  the  leafy  packages 
of  pork,  which,  notwithstanding  the  somewhat  hasty 
manner  in  which  it  had  been  prepared,  possessed  a 
most  excellent  flavour,  and  was  surprisingly  sweet  and 
tender.  Pork  is  not  a  staple  article  of  food  among  the 
people  of  the  Marquesas,  consequently  they  pay  little 
attention  to  the  breeding  of  the  swine.  The  hogs  are 
permitted  to  roam  at  large  in  the  groves,  where  they 
obtain  no  small  part  of  their  nourishment  from  the 
cocoa-nuts  which  continually  fall  from  the  trees.  But 
it  is  only  after  infinite  labour  and  difficulty,  that  the 
hungry  animal  can  pierce  the  husk  and  shell  so  as  to 
get  at  the  meat.  I  have  frequently  been  amused  at 
seeing  one  of  them,  after  crunching  the  obstinate  nut 
with  his  teeth  for  a  long  time  unsuccessfully,  get  into 
a  violent  passion  with  it.  He  would  then  root  furi 
ously  under  the  cocoa-nut,  and,  with  a  fling  of  his 
snout,  toss  it  before  him  on  the  ground.  Following  it 
up,  he  would  crunch  at  it  again  savagely  for  a  moment, 
and  the  next  knock  it  on  one  side,  pausing  immediately 
after,  as  if  wondering  how  it  could  so  suddenly  have 
disappeared.  In  this  way  the  persecuted  cocoa-nuts 
were  often  chased  half  across  the  valley. 

The  second  day  of  the  Feast  of  Calabashes  was 
ushered  in  by  still  more  uproarious  noises  than  the 
first.  The  skins  of  innumerable  sheep  seemed  to  be 
resounding  to  the  blows  of  an  army  of  drummers. 
Startled  from  my  slumbers  by  the  din,  I  leaped  up,  and 
found  the  whole  household  engaged  in  making  prepara 
tions  for  immediate  departure.  Curious  to  discover  of 


244  TYPES 

what  strange  events  these  novel  sounds  might  be  the 
precursors,  and  not  a  little  desirous  to  catch  a  sight  of 
the  instruments  which  produced  the  terrific  noise,  I 
accompanied  the  natives  as  soon  as  they  were  in  readi 
ness  to  depart  for  the  Taboo  Groves. 

The  comparatively  open  space  that  extended  from 
the  Ti  toward  the  rock,  to  which  I  have  before  alluded 
as  forming  the  ascent  to  the  place  was,  with  the  build 
ing  itself,  now  altogether  deserted  by  the  men,  the 
whole  distance  being  filled  by  bands  of  females,  shout 
ing  and  dancing  under  the  influence  of  some  strange 
excitement. 

I  was  amused  at  the  appearance  of  four  or  five  old 
women  who,  in  a  state  of  utter  nudity,  with  their  arms 
extended  flatly  down  their  sides,  and  holding  them 
selves  perfectly  erect,  were  leaping  stiffly  into  the  air, 
like  so  many  sticks  bobbing  to  the  surface,  after  being 
pressed  perpendicularly  into  the  water.  They  pre 
served  the  utmost  gravity  of  countenance,  and  con 
tinued  their  extraordinary  movements  without  a  single 
moment's  cessation.  They  did  not  appear  to  attract 
the  observation  of  the  crowd  around  them,  but  I  must 
candidly  confess  that,  for  my  own  part,  I  stared  at  them 
most  pertinaciously. 

Desirous  of  b^ing  enlightened  with  regard  to  the 
meaning  of  this  peculiar  diversion,  I  turned  enquiringly 
to  Kory-Kory;  that  learned  Typee  immediately  pro 
ceeded  to  explain  the  whole  matter  thoroughly.  But 
all  that  I  could  comprehend  from  what  he  said  was, 
that  the  leaping  figures  before  me  were  bereaved  wid 
ows,  whose  partners  had  been  slain  in  battle  many 
moons  previously;  and  who,  at  every  festival,  gave 
public  evidence  in  this  manner  of  their  calamities.  It 


THE  HOOLAH-HOOLAH  GROUND  245 

was  evident  that  Kory-Kory  considered  this  an  all- 
sufficient  reason  for  so  undecorous  a  custom ;  but  I  must 
say  that  it  did  not  satisfy  me  as  to  its  propriety. 

Leaving  these  afflicted  females,  we  passed  on  to  the 
Hoolah-Hoolah  ground.  Within  the  spacious  quad 
rangle,  the  whole  population  of  the  valley  seemed  to  be 
assembled,  and  the  sight  presented  was  truly  remarkable. 
Beneath  the  sheds  of  bamboo  which  opened  towards  the 
interior  of  the  square,  reclined  the  principal  chiefs  and 
warriors,  while  a  miscellaneous  throng  lay  at  their  ease 
under  the  enormous  trees  which  spread  a  majestic  canopy 
overhead.  Upon  the  terraces  of  the  gigantic  altars,  at 
either  end,  were  deposited  green  bread-fruit  in  baskets 
of  cocoa-nut  leaves,  large  rolls  of  tappa,  bunches  of 
ripe  bananas,  clusters  of  mammee-apples,  the  golden- 
hued  fruit  of  the  artu-tree,  and  baked  hogs,  laid  out 
in  large  wooden  trenchers,  fancifully  decorated  with 
freshly  plucked  leaves,  whilst  a  variety  of  rude  imple 
ments  of  war  were  piled  in  confused  heaps  before  the 
ranks  of  hideous  idols.  Fruits  of  various  kinds  were 
likewise  suspended  in  leafen  baskets,  from  the  tops  of 
poles  planted  uprightly,  and  at  regular  intervals,  along 
the  lower  terraces  of  both  altars.  At  their  base  were 
arranged  two  parallel  rows  of  cumbersome  drums,  stand 
ing  at  least  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  formed  from  the 
hollow  trunks  of  large  trees.  Their  heads  were  covered 
with  shark-skins,  and  their  barrels  were  elaborately 
carved  with  various  quaint  figures  and  devices.  At 
regular  intervals  they  were  bound  round  by  a  species  of 
sinnate  of  various  colours,  and  strips  of  native  cloth 
flattened  upon  them  here  and  there.  Behind  these  in 
struments  were  built  slight  platforms,  upon  which  stood 
a  number  of  young  men  who,  beating  violently  with 


246  TYPEE 

the  palms  of  their  hands  upon  the  drum-heads,  pro 
duced  those  outrageous  sounds  which  had  awakened  me 
in  the  morning.  Every  few  minutes  these  musical 
performers  hopped  down  from  their  elevation  into  the 
crowd  below,  and  their  places  were  immediately  sup 
plied  by  fresh  recruits.  Thus  an  incessant  din  was 
kept  up  that  might  have  startled  Pandemonium. 

Precisely  in  the  middle  of  the  quadrangle  were 
placed  perpendicularly  in  the  ground,  a  hundred  or 
more  slender,  fresh-cut  poles,  stripped  of  their  bark, 
and  decorated  at  the  end  with  a  floating  pennon  of 
white  tappa;  the  whole  being  fenced  about  with  a 
little  picket  of  canes.  For  what  purpose  these  singu 
lar  ornaments  were  intended  I  in  vain  endeavoured  to 
discover. 

Another  most  striking  feature  of  the  performance 
was  exhibited  by  a  score  of  old  men,  who  sat  cross- 
legged  in  the  little  pulpits,  which  encircled  the  trunks 
of  the  immense  trees  growing  in  the  middle  of  the  en 
closure.  These  venerable  gentlemen,  who  I  presume 
were  the  priests,  kept  up  an  uninterrupted  monotonous 
chant,  which  was  nearly  drowned  in  the  roar  of  drums. 
In  the  right  hand  they  held  a  finely  woven  grass  fan, 
with  a  heavy  black  wooden  handle  curiously  chased: 
these  fans  they  kept  in  continual  motion. 

But  no  attention  whatever  seemed  to  be  paid  to  the 
drummers  or  to  the  old  priests;  the  individuals  who 
composed  the  vast  crowd  present  being  entirely  taken 
up  in  chatting  and  laughing  with  one  another,  smok 
ing,  drinking  arva,  and  eating.  For  all  the  observa 
tion  it  attracted,  or  the  good  it  achieved,  the  whole 
savage  orchestra  might,  with  great  advantage  to  its 
own  members  and  the  company  in  general,  have  ceased 
the  prodigious  uproar  they  were  making. 


CLOSE  OF  THE  FESTIVITIES  247 

In  vain  I  questioned  Kory-Kory  and  others  of  the 
natives,  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  strange  things  that 
were  going  on;  all  their  explanations  were  conveyed 
in  such  a  mass  of  outlandish  gibberish  and  gesticula 
tion  that  I  gave  up  the  attempt  in  despair.  All  that 
day  the  drums  resounded,  the  priests  chanted,  and  the 
multitude  feasted  and  roared  till  sunset,  when  the 
throng  dispersed,  and  the  Taboo  Groves  were  again 
abandoned  to  quiet  and  repose.  The  next  day  the 
same  scene  was  repeated  until  night,  when  this  singu 
lar  festival  terminated. 


248  TYPES 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Ideas  suggested  by  the  Feast  of  Calabashes  —  Inaccuracy  of  certain 
published  Accounts  of  the  Islands  —  A  Reason  —  Neglected  State  of 
Heathenism  in  the  Valley  —  Effigy  of  a  dead  Warrior  —  A  singular 
Superstition  —  The  Priest  Kolory  and  the  God  Moa  Artua  —  Amaz 
ing  Religious  Observance  —  A  dilapidated  Shrine  —  Kory-Kory  and 
the  Idol  —  An  Inference. 

ALTHOUGH  I  had  been  baffled  in  my  attempts  to  learn 
the  origin  of  the  Feast  of  Calabashes,  yet  it  seemed  very 
plain  to  me  that  it  was  principally,  if  not  wholly,  of  a 
religious  character.  As  a  religious  solemnity,  however, 
it  had  not  at  all  corresponded  with  the  horrible  descrip 
tions  of  Polynesian  worship  which  we  have  received 
in  some  published  narratives,  and  especially  in  those 
accounts  of  the  evangelized  islands  with  which  the 
missionaries  have  favoured  us.  Did  not  the  sacred 
character  of  these  persons  render  the  purity  of  their 
intentions  unquestionable,  I  should  certainly  be  led  to 
suppose  that  they  had  exaggerated  the  evils  of  Paganism, 
in  order  to  enhance  the  merit  of  their  own  disinterested 
labours. 

In  a  certain  work  incidentally  treating  of  the  "  Wash 
ington,  or  Northern  Marquesas  Islands,"  I  have  seen  the 
frequent  immolation  of  human  victims  upon  the  altars 
of  their  gods,  positively  and  repeatedly  charged  upon 
the  inhabitants.  The  same  work  gives  also  a  rather 
minute  account  of  their  religion,  —  enumerates  a  great 
many  of  their  superstitions,  —  and  makes  known  the 
particular  designations  of  numerous  orders  of  the  priest- 


INACCURACIES  OF  TRAVELLERS  249 

hood.  One  would  almost  imagine  from  the  long  list  that 
is  given  of  cannibal  primates,  bishops,  archdeacons, 
prebendaries,  and  other  inferior  ecclesiastics,  that  the 
sacerdotal  order  far  outnumbered  the  rest  of  the  popu 
lation,  and  that  the  poor  natives  were  more  severely 
priest-ridden  than  even  the  inhabitants  of  the  papal 
states.  These  accounts  are  likewise  calculated  to  leave 
upon  the  reader's  mind  an  impression  that  human  vic 
tims  are  daily  cooked  and  served  up  upon  the  altars  ; 
that  heathenish  cruelties  of  every  description  are  con 
tinually  practised ;  and  that  these  ignorant  Pagans  are 
in  a  state  of  the  extremest  wretchedness  in  consequence 
of  the  grossness  of  their  superstitions.  Be  it  observed, 
however,  that  all  this  information  is  given  by  a  man 
who,  according  to  his  own  statement,  was  only  at  one 
of  the  islands  and  remained  there  but  two  weeks,  sleep 
ing  every  night  on  board  his  ship,  and  taking  little  kid- 
glove  excursions  ashore  in  the  day-time,  attended  by  an 
armed  party. 

Now,  all  I  can  say  is,  that  in  all  my  excursions  through 
the  valley  of  Typee,  I  never  saw  any  of  these  alleged 
enormities.  If  any  of  them  are  practised  upon  the 
Marquesas  Islands  they  must  certainly  have  come  to  my 
knowledge,  while  living  for  months  with  a  tribe  of 
savages,  wholly  unchanged  from  their  original  primitive 
condition,  and  reputed  the  most  ferocious  in  the  South 
Seas. 

The  fact  is,  that  there  is  a  vast  deal  of  unintentional 
humbuggery  in  some  of  the  accounts  we  have  from 
scientific  men  concerning  the  religious  institutions  of 
Polynesia.  These  learned  tourists  generally  obtain  the 
greater  part  of  their  information  from  the  retired  old 
South  Sea  rovers,  who  have  domesticated  themselves 


250  TTPEE 

among  the  barbarous  tribes  of  the  Pacific.  Jack,  who 
has  long  been  accustomed  to  the  long-bow,  and  to  spin 
tough  yarns  on  a  ship's  forecastle,  invariably  officiates 
as  showman  of  the  island  on  which  he  has  settled,  and 
having  mastered  a  few  dozen  words  of  the  language,  is 
supposed  to  know  all  about  the  people  who  speak  it. 
A  natural  desire  to  make  himself  of  consequence  in  the 
eyes  of-  the  strangers,  prompts  him  to  lay  claim  to  a 
much  greater  knowledge  of  such  matters  than  he  actually 
possesses.  In  reply  to  incessant  queries,  he  communi 
cates  not  only  all  he  knows  but  a  good  deal  more,  and 
if  there  be  any  information  deficient  still  he  is  at  no  loss 
to  supply  it.  The  avidity  with  which  his  anecdotes 
are  noted  down  tickles  his  vanity,  and  his  powers  of 
invention  increase  with  the  credulity  of  his  auditors. 
He  knows  just  the  sort  of  information  wanted,  and  fur 
nishes  it  to  any  extent. 

This  is  not  a  supposed  case ;  I  have  met  with  several 
individuals  like  the  one  described,  and  I  have  been 
present  at  two  or  three  of  their  interviews  with  strangers. 

Now,  when  the  scientific  voyager  arrives  at  home 
with  his  collection  of  wonders,  he  attempts,  perhaps,  to 
give  a  description  of  some  of  the  strange  people  he  has 
been  visiting.  Instead  of  representing  them  as  a  com 
munity  of  lusty  savages,  who  are  leading  a  merry,  idle, 
innocent  life,  he  enters  into  a  very  circumstantial  and 
learned  narrative  of  certain  unaccountable  superstitions 
and  practices,  about  which  he  knows  as  little  as  the 
islanders  do  themselves.  Having  had  little  time,  and 
scarcely  any  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
customs  he  pretends  to  describe,  he  writes  them  down 
one  after  another  in  an  off-hand,  haphazard  style ;  and 
were  the  book  thus  produced  to  be  translated  into  the 


SUPERSTITIOUS   OBSERVANCES  251 

tongue  of  the  people  of  whom  it  purports  to  give  the 
history,  it  would  appear  quite  as  wonderful  to  them 
as  it  does  to  the  American  public,  and  much  more 
improbable. 

For  my  own  part,  I  am  free  to  confess  my  almost 
entire  inability  to  gratify  any  curiosity  that  may  be  felt 
with  regard  to  the  theology  of  the  valley.  I  doubt 
whether  the  inhabitants  themselves  could  do  so.  They 
are  either  too  lazy  or  too  sensible  to  worry  themselves 
about  abstract  points  of  religious  belief.  While  I  was 
among  them  they  never  held  any  synods  or  councils  to 
settle  the  principles  of  their  faith  by  agitating  them. 
An  unbounded  liberty  of  conscience  seemed  to  prevail. 
Those  who  pleased  to  do  so  were  allowed  to  repose 
implicit  faith  in  an  ill-favoured  god  with  a  large  bottle 
nose  and  fat  shapeless  arms  crossed  upon  his  breast ; 
whilst  others  worshipped  an  image  which,  having  no 
likeness  either  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  could  hardly  be 
called  an  idol.  As  the  islanders  always  maintained  a 
discreet  reserve,  with  regard  to  my  own  peculiar  views 
on  religion,  I  thought  it  would  be  excessively  ill-bred 
in  me  to  pry  into  theirs. 

But,  although  my  knowledge  of  the  religious  faith  of 
the  Ty pees  was  unavoidably  limited,  one  of  their  super  • 
stitious  observances  with  which  I  became  acquainted 
interested  me  greatly. 

In  one  of  the  most  secluded  portions  of  the  valley 
within  a  stone's  cast  of  Fayaway's  lake  —  for  so  I 
christened  the  scene  of  our  island  yachting  —  and  hard 
by  a  growth  of  palms,  which  stood  ranged  in  order 
along  both  banks  of  the  stream,  waving  their  green 
arms  as  if  to  do  honour  to  its  passage,  was  the  mauso 
leum  of  a  deceased  warrior  chief.  Like  all  the  othei 


252  TYPEE 

edifices  of  any  note,  it  was  raised  upon  a  small  pi-pi  of 
stones,  which,  being  of  unusual  height,  was  a  conspicu 
ous  object  from  a  distance.  A  light  thatching  of  bleached 
palmetto-leaves  hung  over  it  like  a  self-suppported 
canopy ;  for  it  was  not  until  you  came  very  near  that 
you  saw  it  was  supported  by  four  slender  columns  of 
bamboo  rising  at  each  corner  to  a  little  more  than  the 
height  of  a  man.  A  clear  area  of  a  few  yards  surrounded 
the  pi-pi,  and  was  enclosed  by  four  trunks  of  cocoa-nut 
trees  resting  at  the  angles  on  massive  blocks  of  stone. 
The  place  was  sacred.  The  sign  of  the  inscrutable 
taboo  was  seen  in  the  shape  of  a  mystic  roll  of  white 
tappa,  suspended  by  a  twisted  cord  of  the  same  material 
from  the  top  of  a  slight  pole  planted  within  the  en 
closure.1  The  sanctity  of  the  spot  appeared  never  to 
have  been  violated.  The  stillness  of  the  grave  was 
there,  and  the  calm  solitude  around  was  beautiful  and 
touching.  The  soft  shadows  of  those  lofty  palm-trees  ! 

—  I  can  see  them  now — hanging  over  the  little  temple, 
as  if  to  keep  out  the  intrusive  sun. 

On  all  sides  as  you  approached  this  silent  spot  you 
caught  sight  of  the  dead  chief's  effigy,  seated  in  the  stern 
of  a  canoe,  which  was  raised  on  a  light  frame  a  few  inches 
above  the  level  of  the  pi-pi.  The  canoe  was  about  seven 
feet  in  length  ;  of  a  rich,  dark  coloured  wood,  handsomely 
carved  and  adorned  in  many  places  with  variegated 
bindings  of  stained  sinnate,  into  which  were  ingeniously 
wrought  a  number  of  sparkling  seashells,  and  a  belt  of 
the  same  shells  ran  all  round  it.  The  body  of  the 
figure  —  of  whatever  material  it  might  have  been  made 

—  was  effectually  concealed  in  a  heavy  robe  of  brown 
tappa,  revealing  only  the  hands  and  head ;  the  latter  skil- 

1  White  appears  to  be  the  sacred  colour  among  the  Marquesans. 


EFFIGY  OF  A   WARRIOR  253 

fully  carved  in  wood,  and  surmounted  by  a  superb 
arch  of  plumes.  These  plumes,  in  the  subdued  and 
gentle  gales  which  found  access  to  this  sequestered 
spot,  were  never  for  one  moment  at  rest,  but  kept  nod 
ding  and  waving  over  the  chief's  brow.  The  long  leaves 
of  the  palmetto  dropped  over  the  eaves,  and  through 
them  you  saw  the  warrior  holding  his  paddle  with  both 
hands  in  the  act  of  rowing,  leaning  forward  and  inclin 
ing  his  head,  as  if  eager  to  hurry  on  his  voyage. 
Glaring  at  him  forever,  and  face  to  face,  was  a  polished 
human  skull,  which  crowned  the  prow  of  the  canoe. 
The  spectral  figure-head,  reversed  in  its  position,  glan 
cing  backwards,  seemed  to  mock  the  impatient  attitude 
of  the  warrior. 

When  I  first  visited  this  singular  place  with  Kory- 
Kor}r,  he  told  me  —  or  at  least  I  so  understood  him  — 
that  the  chief  was  paddling  his  way  to  the  realms  of  bliss 
and  bread-fruit  —  the  Polynesian  heaven  —  where  every 
moment  the  bread-fruit  trees  dropped  their  ripened 
spheres  to  the  ground,  and  where  there  was  no  end  to 
the  cocoa-nuts  and  bananas :  there  they  reposed  through 
the  livelong  eternity  upon  mats  much  finer  than  those 
of  Typee ;  and  every  day  bathed  their  glowing  limbs  in 
rivers  of  cocoa-nut  oil.  In  that  happy  land  there  were 
plenty  of  plumes  and  feathers  and  boars'-tusks  and 
sperm-whale  teeth,  far  preferable  to  all  the  shining 
trinkets  and  gay  tappa  of  the  white  men ;  and,  best  of 
all,  women,  far  lovelier  than  the  daughters  of  earth,  were 
there  in  abundance.  "A  very  pleasant  place,"  Kory- 
Kory  said  it  was  ;  "  but  after  all  not  much  pleasanter, 
he  thought,  than  Typee."  "  Did  he  not  then,"  I  asked 
him,  "  wish  to  accompany  the  warrior  ?  "  "  Oh,  no  : 
he  was  very  happy  where  he  was;  but  supposed 


254  TTPEE 

that  some  time  or  other  he  would  go  in  his  own 
canoe." 

Thus  far,  I  think,  I  clearly  comprehended  Kory-Kory. 
But  there  was  a  singular  expression  he  made  use  of  at 
the  time,  enforced  by  as  singular  a  gesture,  the  meaning 
of  which  I  would  have  given  much  to  penetrate.  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  it  must  have  been  a  proverb  he  ut 
tered  ;  for  I  afterwards  heard  him  repeat  the  same  words 
several  times,  and  in  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  some 
what  similar  sense.  Indeed,  Kory-Kory  had  a  great  va 
riety  of  short,  smart-sounding  sentences,  with  which  he 
frequently  enlivened  his  discourse ;  and  he  introduced 
them  with  an  air  which  plainly  intimated,  that,  in  his 
opinion,  they  settled  the  matter  in  question,  whatever 
it  might  be. 

Could  it  have  been  then,  that  when  I  asked  him 
whether  he  desired  to  go  to  this  heaven  of  bread-fruit, 
cocoa-nuts,  and  young  ladies,  which  he  had  been  describ 
ing,  he  answered  by  saying  something  equivalent  to  our 
old  adage  —  "A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the 
bush  "  ?  —  if  he  did,  Kory-Kory  was  a  discreet  and  sensi 
ble  fellow,  and  I  cannot  sufficiently  admire  his  shrewd 
ness. 

Whenever  in  the  course  of  my  rambles  through  the 
valley  I  happened  to  be  near  the  chief's  mausoleum,  I 
always  turned  aside  to  visit  it.  The  place  had  a  pecu 
liar  charm  for  me  ;  I  hardly  know  why ;  but  so  it  was. 
As  I  leaned  over  the  railing  and  gazed  upon  the  strange 
effigy  and  watched  the  play  of  the  feathery  head-dress, 
stirred  by  the  same  breeze  which  in  low  tones  breathed 
amidst  the  lofty  palm-trees,  I  loved  to  yield  myself  up 
to  the  fanciful  superstition  of  the  islanders,  and  could 
almost  believe  that  the  grim  warrior  was  bound  heaven- 


RELIGION  IN  TYPEE  255 

ward.  In  this  mood  when  I  turned  to  depart,  I  bade 
Mm  "God  speed,  and  a  pleasant  voyage."  Aye,  paddle 
away,  brave  chieftain,  to  the  land  of  spirits  !  To  the 
material  eye  thou  makest  but  little  progress ;  but  with 
the  eye  of  faith,  I  see  thy  canoe  cleaving  the  bright 
waves,  which  die  away  on  those  dimly  looming  shores 
of  Paradise. 

This  strange  superstition  affords  another  evidence  of 
the  fact,  that  however  ignorant  man  may  be,  he  still 
feels  within  him  his  immortal  spirit  yearning  after  the 
unknown  future. 

Although  the  religious  theories  of  the  islands  were  a 
complete  mystery  to  me,  their  practical  every-day  opera 
tion  could  not  be  concealed.  I  frequently  passed  the 
little  temples  reposing  in  the  shadows  of  the  taboo 
groves  and  beheld  the  offerings  —  mouldy  fruits  spread 
out  upon  a  rude  altar,  or  hanging  in  half-decayed  bas 
kets  around  some  uncouth  jolly-looking  image  ;  I  was 
present  during  the  continuance  of  the  festival ;  I  daily 
beheld  the  grinning  idols  marshalled  rank  and  file  in  the 
Hoolah  Hoolah  ground,  and  was  often  in  the  habit  of 
meeting  those  whom  I  supposed  to  be  the  priests.  But 
the  temples  seemed  abandoned  to  solitude ;  the  festival 
had  been  nothing  more  than  a  jovial  mingling  of  the 
tribe  ;  the  idols  were  quite  as  harmless  as  any  other  logs 
of  wood ;  and  the  priests  were  the  merriest  dogs  in  the 
valley. 

In  fact  religious  affairs  in  Typee  were  at  a  very  low 
ebb :  all  such  matters  sat  very  lightly  upon  the  thought 
less  inhabitants;  and,  in  the  celebration  of  many  of 
their  strange  rites,  they  appeared  merely  to  seek  a  sort 
of  childish  amusement. 

A  curious  evidence  of  this  was  given  in  a  remarkable 


256  TYPEE 

ceremony  in  which  I  frequently  saw  Mehevi  and  several 
other  chiefs  and  warriors  of  note  take  part ;  but  never  a 
single  female. 

Among  those  whom  I  looked  upon  as  forming  the 
priesthood  of  the  valley,  there  was  one  in  particular  who 
often  attracted  my  notice,  and  whom  I  could  not  help 
regarding  as  the  head  of  the  order.  He  was  a  noble 
looking  man,  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  and  of  a  most  be 
nignant  aspect.  The  authority  this  man,  whose  name 
was  Kolory,  seemed  to  exercise  over  the  rest,  the  epis 
copal  part  he  took  in  the  feast  of  Calabashes,  his  sleek 
and  complacent  appearance,  the  mystic  characters  which 
were  tattooed  upon  his  breast,  and  above  all  the  mitre 
he  frequently  wore,  in  the  shape  of  a  towering  head 
dress,  consisting  of  part  of  a  cocoa-nut  branch,  the  stalk 
planted  uprightly  on  his  brow,  and  the  leaflets  gathered 
together  and  passed  round  the  temples  and  behind  the 
ears,  all  these  pointed  him  out  as  Lord  Primate  of  Ty- 
pee.  Kolory  was  a  sort  of  a  Knight  Templar — a  soldier- 
priest  ;  for  he  often  wore  the  dress  of  a  Marquesan 
warrior,  and  always  carried  a  long  spear,  which,  instead 
of  terminating  in  a  paddle  at  the  lower  end,  after  the  gen 
eral  fashion  of  these  weapons,  was  curved  into  a  heathen 
ish-looking  little  image.  This  instrument,  however, 
might  perhaps  have  been  emblematic  of  his  double  func 
tions.  With  one  end  in  carnal  combat  he  transfixed  the 
enemies  of  his  tribe ;  and  with  the  other  as  a  pastoral 
crook  he  kept  in  order  his  spiritual  flock.  But  this  is 
not  all  I  have  to  say  about  Kolory.  His  martial  grace 
very  often  carried  about  with  him  what  seemed  to  me 
the  half  of  a  broken  war-club.  It  was  swathed  around 
with  ragged  bits  of  white  tappa,  and  the  upper  part, 
vhich  was  intended  to  represent  a  human  head,  was 


MOA  ATUA  257 

embellished  with  a  strip  of  scarlet  cloth  of  European 
manufacture.  It  required  little  observation  to  discover 
that  this  strange  object  was  revered  as  a  god.  By  the 
side  of  the  big  and  lusty  images  standing  sentinel  over 
the  altars  of  the  Hoolah  Hoolah  ground,  it  seemed  a 
mere  pigmy  in  tatters.  But  appearances  all  the  world 
over  are  deceptive.  Little  men  are  sometimes  very 
potent,  and  rags  sometimes  cover  very  extensive  pre 
tensions.  In  fact,  this  funny  little  image  was  the 
"  crack  "  god  of  the  island  ;  lording  it  overall  the  wooden 
lubbers  who  looked  so  grim  and  dreadful ;  its  name  was 
Moa  Atua.1  And  it  was  in  honour  of  Moa  Atua,  and 
for  the  entertainment  of  those  who  believed  in  him,  that 
the  curious  ceremony  I  am  about  to  describe  was 
observed. 

Mehevi  and  the  chieftains  of  the  Ti  have  just  risen 
from  their  noontide  slumbers.  There  are  n  o  affairs  of  state 
to  dispose  of ;  and  having  eaten  two  or  three  break 
fasts  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  the  magnates  of  the 
valley  feel  no  appetite  as  yet  for  dinner.  How  are  their 
leisure  moments  to  be  occupied?  They  smoke,  they 
chat,  and  at  last  one  of  their  number  makes  a  proposi 
tion  to  the  rest,  who  joyfully  acquiescing,  he  darts  out 
of  the  house,  leaps  from  the  pi-pi,  and  disappears  in  the 
grove.  Soon  you  see  him  returning  with  Kolory,  who 
bears  the  god  Moa  Atua  in  his  arms,  and  carries  in  one 
hand  a  small  trough,  hollowed  out  in  the  likeness  of  a 
canoe.  The  priest  comes  along  dandling  his  charge  as  if 
it  were  a  lachrymose  infant  he  was  endeavouring  to  put 
into  a  good  humour.  Presently,  entering  the  Ti,  he  seats 

1  The  word  "  Atua,"  although  having  some  other  significations,  is  in 
nearly  all  the  Polynesian  dialects  used  as  the  general,  designation  of 
the  gods. 


258  TYPES 

himself  on  the  mats  as  composedly  as  a  juggler  about 
to  perform  his  sleight-of-hand  tricks ;  and  with  the  chiefs 
disposed  in  a  circle  around  him,  commences  his  cere 
mony. 

In  the  first  place  he  gives  Moa  Atua  an  affectionate 
hug,  then  caressingly  lays  him  to  his  breast,  and,  finally, 
whispers  something  in  his  ear ;  the  rest  of  the  company 
listening  eagerly  for  a  reply.  But  the  baby-god  is  deaf 
or  dumb,  —  perhaps  both,  for  never  a  word  does  he  utter. 
At  last  Kolory  speaks  a  little  louder,  and  soon  growing 
angry,  comes  boldly  out  with  what  he  has  to  say  and 
bawls  to  him.  He  put  me  in  mind  of  a  choleric  fellow, 
who,  after  trying  in  vain  to  communicate  a  secret  to  a 
deaf  man,  all  at  once  flies  into  a  passion  and  screams  it 
out  so  that  every  one  may  hear.  Still  Moa  Atua  re 
mains  as  quiet  as  ever;  and  Kolory,  seemingly  losing 
his  temper,  fetches  him  a  box  over  the  head,  strips  him 
of  his  tappa  and  red  cloth,  and  laying  him  in  a  state  of 
nudity  in  the  little  trough,  covers  him  from  sight.  At 
this  proceeding  all  present  loudly  applaud  and  signify 
their  approval  by  uttering  the  adjective  "  motarkee " 
with  violent  emphasis.  Kolory,  however,  is  so  desirous 
his  conduct  should  meet  with  unqualified  approbation, 
that  he  inquires  of  each  individual  separately  whether, 
Under  existing  circumstances,  he  has  not  done  perfectly 
right  in  shutting  up  Moa  Atua.  The  invariable  response 
is  "  Aa,  Aa  "  (yes,  yes),  repeated  over  again  and  again 
in  a  manner  which  ought  to  quiet  the  scruples  of  the 
most  conscientious.  After  a  few  moments  Kolory  brings 
forth  his  doll  again,  and  while  arraying  it  very  carefully 
in  the  tappa  and  red  cloth,  alternately  fondles  and  chides 
it.  The  toilet  being  completed,  he  once  more  speaks  to 
it  aloud.  The  whole  company  hereupon  show  the  great- 


SECRET  DISCLOSURES  259 

est  interest ;  while  the  priest  holding  Moa  Atua  to  his 
ear  interprets  to  them  what  he  pretends  the  god  is  con 
fidentially  communicating  to  him.  Some  items  of  in 
telligence  appear  to  tickle  all  present  amazingly;  for 
one  claps  his  hands  in  rapture ;  another  shouts  with 
merriment;  and  a  third  leaps  to  his  feet  and  capers 
about  like  a  madman. 

What  under  the  sun  Moa  Atua  on  these  occasions  had 
to  say  to  Kolory  I  never  could  find  out ;  but  I  could  not 
help  thinking  that  the  former  showed  a  sad  want  of 
spirit  in  being  disciplined  into  making  those  disclosures, 
which  at  first  he  seemed  bent  on  withholding.  Whether 
the  priest  honestly  interpreted  what  he  believed  the  di 
vinity  said  to  him,  or  whether  he  was  not  all  the  while 
guilty  of  a  vile  humbug,  I  shall  not  presume  to  decide. 
At  any  rate,  whatever  as  coming  from  the  god  was  im 
parted  to  those  present  seemed  to  be  generally  of  a  com 
plimentary  nature :  a  fact  which  illustrates  the  sagacity 
of  Kolory,  or  else  the  time-serving  disposition  of  this 
hardly  used  deity. 

Moa  Atua  having  nothing  more  to  say,  his  bearer  goes 
to  nursing  him  again,  in  which  occupation,  however, 
he  is  soon  interrupted  by  a  question  put  by  one  of  th* 
warriors  to  the  god.  Kolory  hereupon  snatches  it  up  to 
his  ear  again,  and  after  listening  attentively,  once  more 
officiates  as  the  organ  of  communication.  A  multitude 
of  questions  and  answers  having  passed  between  the  par 
ties,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  propose  them, 
the  god  is  put  tenderly  to  bed  in  the  trough,  and  the 
whole  company  unite  in  a  long  chaunt,  led  off  by  Kolory. 
This  ended,  the  ceremony  is  over ;  the  chiefs  rise  to  their 
feet  in  high  good  humour,  and  my  Lord  Archbishop, 
after  chatting  awhile,  and  regaling  himself  with  a  whiff 


260  TTPEE 

or  two  from  a  pipe  of  tobacco,  tucks  the  canoe  under  his 
arm  and  marches  off  with  it. 

The  whole  of  these  proceedings  were  like  those 
of  a  parcel  of  children  playing  with  dolls  and  baby 
houses. 

For  a  youngster  scarcely  ten  inches  high,  and  with  so 
few  early  advantages  as  he  doubtless  had  had,  Moa  Atua 
was  certainly  a  precocious  little  fellow  if  he  really  said 
all  that  was  imputed  to  him ;  but  for  what  reason  this 
poor  devil  of  a  deity,  thus  cuffed  about,  cajoled  and  shut 
up  in  a  box,  was  held  in  greater  estimation  than  the  full- 
grown  and  dignified  personages  of  the  Taboo  Groves,  I 
cannot  divine.  And  yet  Mehevi,  and  other  chiefs  of  un 
questionable  veracity  —  to  say  nothing  of  the  Primate 
himself — assured  me  over  and  over  again  that  Moa  Atua 
was  the  tutelary  deity  of  Typee,  and  was  more  to  be 
held  in  honour  than  a  whole  battalion  of  the  clumsy  idols 
in  the  Hoolah  Hoolah  grounds.  Kory-Kory — who  seemed 
to  have  devoted  considerable  attention  to  the  study  of 
theology,  as  he  knew  the  names  of  all  the  graven  images 
in  the  valley,  and  often  repeated  them  over  to  me  — 
likewise  entertained  some  rather  enlarged  ideas  with  re 
gard  to  the  character  and  pretensions  of  Moa  Atua.  He 
once  gave  me  to  understand,  with  a  gesture  there  was  no 
misconceiving,  that  if  he  (Moa  Atua)  were  so  minded, 
he  could  cause  a  cocoa-nut  tree  to  sprout  out  of  his 
(Kory-Kory's)  head ;  and  that  it  would  be  the  easiest 
thing  in  life  for  him  (Moa  Atua)  to  take  the  whole  island 
of  Nukuheva  in  his  mouth  and  dive  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  with  it. 

But  in  sober  seriousness,  I  hardly  knew  what  to  make 
of  the  religion  of  the  valley.  There  was  nothing  that  so 
much  perplexed  the  illustrious  Cook,  in  his  intercourse 


RELIGION  IN  POLYNESIA  261 

with  the  South  Sea  islanders,  as  their  sacred  rites.  Al 
though  this  prince  of  navigators  was  in  many  instances 
assisted  by  interpreters  in  the  prosecution  of  his  re 
searches,  he  still  frankly  acknowledges  that  he  was  at  a 
loss  to  obtain  anything  like  a  clear  insight  into  the  puz 
zling  arcana  of  their  faith.  A  similar  admission  has  been 
made  by  other  eminent  voyagers :  by  Carteret,  Byron, 
Kotzebue,  and  Vancouver. 

For  my  own  part,  although  hardly  a  day  passed  while 
I  remained  upon  the  island  that  I  did  not  witness  some 
religious  ceremony  or  other,  it  was  very  much  like  see 
ing  a  parcel  of  "  Freemasons  "  making  secret  signs  to 
each  other;  I  saw  everything,  but  could  comprehend 
nothing. 

On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  that  the 
islanders  in  the  Pacific  have  no  fixed  and  definite  ideas 
whatever  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  am  persuaded 
that  Kolory  himself  would  be  effectually  posed  were  he 
called  upon  to  draw  up  the  articles  of  his  faith  and  pro 
nounce  the  creed  by  which  he  hoped  to  be  saved.  In 
truth,  the  Typees,  so  far  as  their  actions  evince,  sub 
mitted  to  no  laws  human  or  divine  —  always  excepting 
the  thrice  mysterious  taboo.  The  "independent  elect 
ors  "  of  the  valley  were  not  to  be  brow-beaten  by  chiefs, 
priests,  idols,  or  devils.  As  for  the  luckless  idols,  they 
received  more  hard  knocks  than  supplications.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  some  of  them  looked  so  grim,  and  stood  so 
bolt  upright  as  if  fearful  of  looking  to  the  right  or  the 
left  lest  they  should  give  any  one  offence.  The  fact  is, 
they  had  to  carry  themselves " pretty  straight"  or  suffer 
the  consequences.  Their  worshippers  were  such  a  pre 
cious  set  of  fickle-minded  and  irreverent  heathens, 
that  there  was  no  telling  when  they  might  topple 


262  TTPEE 

one  of  them  over,  break  it  to  pieces,  and  making  a 
fire  with  it  on  the  very  altar  itself,  fall  to  roasting 
the  offerings  of  bread-fruit,  and  eat  them  in  spite  of  its 
teeth. 

In  how  little  reverence  these  unfortunate  deities  were 
held  by  the  natives  was  on  one  occasion  most  convin 
cingly  proved  to  me. — Walking  with  Kory-Kory  through 
the  deepest  recesses  of  the  groves,  I  perceived  a  curious 
looking  image,  about  six  feet  in  height,  which  originally 
had  been  placed  upright  against  a  low  pi-pi,  surmounted 
by  a  ruinous  bamboo  temple,  but  having  become  fatigued 
and  weak  in  the  knees,  was  now  carelessly  leaning 
against  it.  The  idol  was  partly  concealed  by  the  foliage 
of  a  tree  which  stood  near,  and  whose  leafy  boughs 
drooped  over  the  pile  of  stones,  as  if  to  protect  the 
rude  fane  from  the  decay  to  which  it  was  rapidly  hasten 
ing.  The  image  itself  was  nothing  more  than  a  gro 
tesquely  shaped  log,  carved  in  the  likeness  of  a  portly 
naked  man  with  the  arms  clasped  over  the  head,  the  jaws 
thrown  wide  apart,  and  its  thick  shapeless  legs  bowed 
into  an  arch.  It  was  much  decayed.  The  lower  part 
was  overgrown  with  a  bright  silky  moss.  Thin  spears 
of  grass  sprouted  from  the  distended  mouth  and  fringed 
the  outline  of  the  head  and  arms.  His  godship  had  lit 
erally  attained  a  green  old  age.  All  its  prominent 
points  were  bruised  and  battered,  or  entirely  rotted 
away.  The  nose  had  taken  its  departure,  and  from  the 
general  appearance  of  the  head  it  might  have  been  sup 
posed  that  the  wooden  divinity,  in  despair  at  the  neglect 
of  its  worshippers,  had  been  trying  to  beat  its  own  brains 
out  against  the  surrounding  trees. 

I  drew  near  to  inspect  more  closely  this  strange  object 


IDOLS  AND  PRIESTS  26S 

of  idolatry ;  but  halted  reverently  at  the  distance  of  two 
or  three  paces,  out  of  regard  to  the  religious  prejudices 
of  my  valet.  As  soon,  however,  as  Kory-Kory  perceived 
that  I  was  in  one  of  my  inquiring,  scientific  moods,  to 
my  astonishment,  he  sprang  to  the  side  of  the  idol,  and 
pushing  it  away  from  the  stones  against  which  it  rested, 
endeavoured  to  make  it  stand  upon  its  legs.  But  the 
divinity  had  lost  the  use  of  them  altogether ;  and  while 
Kory-Kory  was  trying  to  prop  it  up,  by  placing  a  stick 
between  it  and  the  pi-pi,  the  monster  fell  clumsily  to  the 
ground,  and  would  infallibly  have  broken  its  neck  had 
not  Kory-Kory  providentially  broken  its  fall  by  receiving 
its  whole  weight  on  his  own  half-crushed  back.  I  never 
saw  the  honest  fellow  in  such  a  rage  before.  He  leaped 
furiously  to  his  feet,  and  seizing  the  stick,  began  beatin^ 
the  poor  image :  every  moment  or  two  pausing  and  talk 
ing  to  it  in  the  most  violent  manner,  as  if  upbraiding  it 
for  the  accident.  When  his  indignation  had  subsided  a 
little  he  whirled  the  idol  about  most  profanely,  so  as  to 
give  me  an  opportunity  of  examining  it  on  all  sides.  I 
am  quite  sure  I  never  should  have  presumed  to  have 
taken  such  liberties  with  the  god  myself,  and  I  was  not 
a  little  shocked  at  Kory-Kory's  impiety. 

This  anecdote  speaks  for  itself.  When  one  of  the 
inferior  order  of  natives  could  show  such  contempt  for 
a,  venerable  and  decrepit  God  of  the  Groves,  what  the 
state  of  religion  must  be  among  the  people  in  general 
is  easily  to  be  imagined.  In  truth,  I  regard  the  Typees 
as  a  back-slidden  generation.  They  are  sunk  in  reli 
gious  sloth,  and  require  a  spiritual  revival.  A  long 
prosperity  of  bread-fruit  and  cocoa-nuts  hag  rendered 
them  remiss  in  the  performance  of  their  higher  obliga- 


264  TTPEE 

tions.  The  wood-rot  malady  is  spreading  among  the 
idols  —  the  fruit  upon  their  altars  is  becoming  offensive 
—  the  temples  themselves  need  re-thatching  —  the  tat 
tooed  clergy  are  altogether  too  light-hearted  and  lazy — • 
and  their  flocks  are  going  astray. 


GENERAL  INFORMATION  GATHERED          265 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

General  Information  gathered  at  the  Festival  —  Personal  Beauty  of 
the  Typees  —  Their  Superiority  over  the  Inhabitants  of  the  other 
Islands  —  Diversity  of  Complexion  —  A  vegetable  Cosmetic  and 
Ointment  —  Testimony  of  Yoyagers  to  the  uncommon  Beauty  of 
the  Marquesans  —  Few  Evidences  of  Intercourse  with  civilized 
Beings  —  Dilapidated  Musket  —  Primitive  Simplicity  of  Govern 
ment  —  Regal  Dignity  of  Mehevi. 

ALTHOUGH  I  had  been  unable  during  the  late  festi 
val  to  obtain  information  on  many  interesting  subjects 
which  had  much  excited  my  curiosity,  still  that  impor 
tant  event  had  not  passed  by  without  adding  materially 
to  my  general  knowledge  of  the  islanders. 

I  was  especially  struck  by  the  physical  strength  and 
beauty  which  they  displayed,  by  their  great  superiority 
in  these  respects  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbour 
ing  bay  of  Nukuheva,  and  by  the  singular  contrasts  they 
presented  among  themselves  in  their  various  shades  of 
complexion. 

In  beauty  of  form  they  surpassed  anything  I  had 
ever  seen.  Not  a  single  instance  of  natural  deformity 
was  observable  in  all  the  throng  attending  the  revels. 
Occasionally  I  noticed  among  the  men  the  scars  of 
wounds  they  had  received  in  battle ;  and  sometimes, 
though  very  seldom,  the  loss  of  a  finger,  an  eye,  or  an 
arm,  attributable  to  the  same  cause.  With  these  ex 
ceptions,  every  individual  appeared  free  from  those 
blemishes  which  sometimes  mar  the  effect  of  an  other 
wise  perfect  form.  But  their  physical  excellence  did 


266  TYPES 

not  merely  consist  in  an  exemption  from  these  evils ; 
nearly  every  individual  of  their  number  might  have 
been  taken  for  a  sculptor's  model. 

When  I  remembered  that  these  islanders  derived  no 
advantage  from  dress,  but  appeared  in  all  the  naked 
simplicity  of  nature,  I  could  not  avoid  comparing  them 
with  the  fine  gentlemen  and  dandies  who  promenade 
such  unexceptionable  figures  in  our  frequented  thorough 
fares.  Stripped  of  the  cunning  artifices  of  the  tailor, 
and  standing  forth  in  the  garb  of  Eden,  —  what  a 
sorry  set  of  round-shouldered,  spindle-shanked,  crane- 
necked  varlets  would  civilized  men  appear!  Stuffed 
calves,  padded  breasts,  and  scientifically  cut  pantaloons 
would  then  avail  them  nothing,  and  the  effect  would  be 
truly  deplorable. 

Nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  islanders  struck  me 
more  forcibly  than  the  whiteness  of  their  teeth.  The 
novelist  always  compares  the  masticators  of  his  heroine 
to  ivory ;  but  I  boldly  pronounce  the  teeth  of  the 
Typees  to  be  far  more  beautiful  than  ivory  itself.  The 
jaws  of  the  oldest  greybeards  among  them  were  much 
better  garnished  than  those  of  most  of  the  youths  of 
civilised  countries ;  while  the  teeth  of  the  young  and 
middle-aged,  in  their  purity  and  whiteness,  were  actually 
dazzling  to  the  eye.  This  marvellous  whiteness  of  the 
teeth  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  pure  vegetable  diet  of 
these  people,  and  the  uninterrupted  healthfulness  of 
their  natural  mode  of  life. 

The  men,  in  almost  every  instance,  are  of  lofty 
stature,  scarcely  ever  less  than  six  feet  in  height,  while 
the  other  sex  are  uncommonly  diminutive.  The  early 
period  of  life  at  which  the  human  form  arrives  at 
maturity  in  this  generous  tropical  climate,  likewise 


PHYSICAL  PECULIARITIES  267 

deserves  to  be  mentioned.  A  little  creature,  not  more 
than  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  who  in  other  particulars 
might  be  regarded  as  a  mere  child,  is  often  seen  nursing 
her  own  baby ;  whilst  lads  who,  under  less  ripening 
skies,  would  be  still  at  school,  are  here  responsible 
fathers  of  families. 

On  first  entering  the  Typee  Valley,  I  had  been 
struck  with  the  marked  contrast  presented  by  its  in 
habitants  with  those  of  the  bay  I  had  previously  left. 
In  the  latter  place,  I  had  not  been  favourably  impressed 
with  the  personal  appearance  of  the  male  portion  of  the 
population  ;  although  with  the  females,  excepting  in 
some  truly  melancholy  instances,  I  had  been  wonder 
fully  pleased.  I  had  observed  that  even  the  little  inter 
course  Europeans  had  carried  on  with  the  Nukuheva 
natives  had  not  failed  to  leave  its  traces  amongst  them. 
One  of  the  most  dreadful  curses  under  which  humanity 
labours  had  commenced  its  havocks,  and  betrayed,  as  it 
ever  does  among  the  South  Sea  islanders,  the  most 
aggravated  symptoms.  From  this,  as  from  all  other 
foreign  inflictions,  the  yet  uncontaminated  tenants  of 
the  Typee  Valley  were  wholly  exempt ;  and  long  may 
they  continue  so.  Better  will  it  be  for  them  for  ever 
to  remain  the  happy  and  innocent  heathens  and  barba 
rians  that  they  now  are,  than,  like  the  wretched  in 
habitants  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  to  enjoy  the  mere 
name  of  Christians  without  experiencing  any  of  the 
vital  operations  of  true  religion,  whilst,  at  the  same 
time,  they  are  made  the  victims  of  the  worst  vices  and 
evils  of  civilized  life. 

Apart,  however,  from  these  considerations,  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  there  exists  a  radical  difference 
between  the  two  tribes,  if  indeed  they  are  not  distinct 


268  TTPEE 

races  of  men.  To  those  who  have  merely  touched  at 
Nukuheva  Bay,  without  visiting  other  portions  of  the 
island,  it  would  hardly  appear  credible  the  diversities 
presented  between  the  various  small  clans  inhabiting  so 
diminutive  a  spot.  But  the  hereditary  hostility  which 
has  existed  between  them  for  ages  fully  accounts  for 
this. 

Not  so  easy,  however,  is  it  to  assign  an  adequate 
cause  for  the  endless  variety  of  complexions  to  be  seen 
in  the  Typee  Valley.  During  the  festival  I  had  noticed 
several  young  females  whose  skins  were  almost  as  white 
as  any  Saxon  damsels  ;  a  slight  dash  of  the  mantling 
brown  being  all  that  marked  the  difference.  The  com 
parative  fairness  of  complexion,  though  in  a  great 
degree  perfectly  natural,  is  partly  the  result  of  an  arti 
ficial  process,  and  of  an  entire  exclusion  from  the  sun. 
The  juice  of  the  "  papa  "  root,  found  in  great  abundance 
at  the  head  of  the  valley,  is  held  in  great  esteem  as  a 
cosmetic,  with  which  many  of  the  females  daily  anoint 
their  whole  person.  The  habitual  use  of  it  whitens  and 
beautifies  the  skin.  Those  of  the  young  girls  who 
resort  to  this  method  of  heightening  their  charms,  never 
expose  themselves  to  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  an  observ 
ance,  however,  that  produces  little  or  no  inconvenience, 
since  there  are  but  few  of  the  inhabited  portions  of  the 
vale  which  are  not  shaded  over  with  a  spreading  canopy 
of  boughs,  so  that  one  may  journey  from  house  to 
house,  scarcely  deviating  from  the  direct  course,  and 
yet  never  once  see  his  shadow  cast  upon  the  ground. 

The  "  papa,"  when  used,  is  suffered  to  remain  upon 
the  skin  for  several  hours ;  being  of  a  light  green 
colour,  it  consequently  imparts  for  the  time  a  similar 
hue  to  the  complexion.  Nothing,  therefore,  can  be 


THE  "PAPA"  269 

imagined  more  singular  than  the  appearance  of  these 
nearly  naked  damsels  immediately  after  the  application 
of  the  cosmetic.  To  look  at  one  of  them  you  would 
almost  suppose  she  was  some  vegetable  in  an  unripe 
state ;  and  that,  instead  of  living  in  the  shade  forever, 
she  ought  to  be  placed  out  in  the  sun  to  ripen. 

All  the  islanders  are  more  or  less  in  the  habit  of 
anointing  themselves  ;  the  women  preferring  the  "  aker  " 
or  upapa,"  and  the  men  using  the  oil  of  the  cocoa-nut. 
Mehevi  was  remarkably  fond  of  mollifying  his  entire 
cuticle  with  this  ointment.  Sometimes  he  might  be 
seen,  with  his  whole  body  fairly  reeking  with  the  per 
fumed  oil  of  the  nut,  looking  as  if  he  had  just  emerged 
from  a  soap-boiler's  vat,  or  had  undergone  the  process 
of  dipping  in  a  tallow-chandlery.  To  this  cause  per 
haps,  united  to  their  frequent  bathing  and  extreme 
cleanliness,  is  ascribable,  in  a  great  measure,  the  mar 
vellous  purity  and  smoothness  of  skin  exhibited  by  the 
natives  in  general. 

The  prevailing  tint  among  the  women  of  the  valley 
was  a  light  olive,  and  of  this  style  of  complexion  Faya- 
way  afforded  the  most  beautiful  example.  Others  were 
still  darker,  while  not  a  few  were  of  a  genuine  golden 
colour,  and  some  of  a  swarthy  hue. 

As  agreeing  with  much  previously  mentioned  in  this 
narrative,  I  may  here  observe,  that  Mendana,  their  dis 
coverer,  in  his  account  of  the  Marquesas,  described  the 
natives  as  wondrously  beautiful  to  behold,  and  as  nearly 
resembling  the  people  of  southern  Europe.  The  first  of 
these  islands  seen  by  Mendana  was  La  Madelena,  which 
is  not  far  distant  from  Nukuheva ;  and  its  inhabitants 
in  every  respect  resemble  those  dwelling  on  that  and 
the  other  islands  of  the  group.  Figueroa,  the  chronicler 


270 

of  Mendana's  voyage,  says,  that  on  the  morning  the 
land  was  descried,  when  the  Spaniards  drew  near  the 
shore,  there  sallied  forth,  in  rude  procession,  about 
seventy  canoes,  and  at  the  same  time  many  of  the  inhab 
itants  (females,  I  presume)  made  towards  the  ships  by 
swimming.  He  adds,  that  "  in  complexion  they  were 
nearly  white ;  of  good  stature,  and  finely  formed ;  and  on 
their  faces  and  bodies  were  delineated  representations  of 
fishes  and  other  devices."  The  old  Don  then  goes  on  to 
say,  "  There  came,  among  others,  two  lads  paddling  their 
canoe,  whose  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ship:  they  had 
beautiful  faces  and  the  most  promising  animation  of 
countenance ;  and  were  in  all  things  so  becoming,  that 
the  pilot-mayor  Quiros  affirmed,  nothing  in  his  life  ever 
caused  him  so  much  regret  as  the  leaving  such  fine 
creatures  to  be  lost  in  that  country." l  More  than  two 
hundred  years  have  gone  by  since  the  passage  of  which 
the  above  is  a  translation  was  written ;  and  it  appears  to 
me  now,  as  I  read  it,  as  fresh  and  true  as  if  written  but 
yesterday.  The  islanders  are  still  the  same ;  and  I  have 
seen  boys  in  the  Typee  Valley  of  whose  "beautiful  faces  " 
and  "  promising  animation  of  countenance  "  no  one  who 
has  not  beheld  them  can  form  any  adequate  idea.  Cook, 
in  the  account  of  his  voyages,  pronounces  the  Marque- 
sans  as  by  far  the  most  splended  islanders  in  the  South 
Seas.  Stewart,  the  chaplain  of  the  U.S.  ship  Vincennes, 
in  his  "Scenes  in  the  South  Seas,"  expresses,  in  more 

1  This  passage,  which  is  cited  as  an  almost  literal  translation  from 
the  original,  I  found  in  a  small  volume  entitled  "  Circumnavigation  of 
the  Globe,"  in  which  volume  are  several  extracts  from  "  Dairy mple's 
Historical  Collections."  The  last-mentioned  work  I  have  never 
seen,  but  it  is  said  to  contain  a  very  correct  English  version  of  great 
part  of  the  learned  Doctor  Christoval  Suaverde  de  Figueroa's  History 
of  Mendana's  Voyage,  published  at  Madrid,  A.D.  1613. 


DISTINGUISHING  CHARACTERISTICS  271 

than  one  place,  his  amazement  at  the  surpassing  loveli 
ness  of  the  women ;  and  says  that  many  of  the  Nukuheva 
damsels  reminded  him  forcibly  of  the  most  celebrated 
beauties  in  his  own  land.  Fanning,  a  Yankee  mariner 
of  some  reputation,  likewise  records  his  lively  impres 
sions  of  the  physical  appearance  of  these  people  ;  and 
Commodore  David  Porter  of  the  U.  S.  frigate  Essex,  is 
said  to  have  been  vastly  smitten  by  the  beauty  of  the 
ladies.  Their  great  superiority  over  all  other  Polyne 
sians  cannot  fail  to  attract  the  notice  of  those  who  visit 
the  principal  groups  in  the  Pacific.  The  voluptuous 
Tahitians  are  the  only  people  who  at  all  deserve  to  be 
compared  with  them ;  while  the  dark-hued  Hawaiians 
and  the  woolly-headed  Feejees  are  immeasurably  in 
ferior  to  them.  The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the 
Marquesan  islanders,  and  that  which  at  once  strikes  you, 
is  the  European  cast  of  their  features — a  peculiarity 
seldom  observable  among  other  uncivilised  people. 
Many  of  their  faces  present  a  profile  classically  beauti 
ful,  and  in  the  valley  of  Typee,  I  saw  several  who,  like 
the  stranger  Marnoo,  were  in  every  respect  models  of 
beauty. 

Some  of  the  natives  present  at  the  Feast  of  Calabashes 
had  displayed  a  few  articles  of  European  dress  ;  disposed, 
however,  about  their  persons  after  their  own  peculiar 
fashion.  Among  these  I  perceived  the  two  pieces  of 
cotton-cloth  which  poor  Toby  and  myself  had  bestowed 
upon  our  youthful  guides  the  afternoon  we  entered  the 
valley.  They  were  evidently  reserved  for  gala  days  ; 
and  during  those  of  the  festival  they  rendered  the  young 
islanders  who  wore  them  very  distinguished  characters, 
The  small  number  who  were  similarly  adorned,  and  the 
great  value  they  appeared  to  place  upon  the  most  com- 


272  TYPEE 

mon  and  most  trivial  articles,  furnished  ample  evidence 
of  the  very  restricted  intercourse  they  held  with  vessels 
touching  at  the  island.  A  few  cotton  handkerchiefs, 
of  a  gay  pattern,  tied  about  the  neck  and  suffered  to  fall 
over  the  shoulders ;  strips  of  fanciful  calico,  swathed 
about  the  loins,  were  nearly  all  I  saw. 

Indeed,  throughout  the  valley,  there  were  few  things 
of  any  kind  to  be  seen  of  E  uropean  origin.  All  I  ever  saw, 
beside  the  articles  just  alluded  to,  were  the  six  muskets 
preserved  in  the  Ti,  and  three  or  four  similar  implements 
of  warfare  hung  up  in  other  houses ;  some  small  canvas 
bags,  partly  filled  with  bullets  and  powder,  and  half  a 
dozen  old  hatchet-heads,  with  the  edges  blunted  and 
battered  to  such  a  degree  as  to  render  them  utterly  use 
less.  These  last  seemed  to  be  regarded  as  nearly  worth 
less  by  the  natives  ;  and  several  times  they  held  up  one 
of  them  before  me,  and  throwing  it  aside  with  a  gesture 
of  disgust,  manifested  their  contempt  for  anything  that 
could  so  soon  become  unserviceable. 

But  the  muskets,  the  powder,  and  the  bullets  were 
held  in  most  extravagant  esteem.  The  former,  from 
their  great  age  and  the  peculiarities  they  exhibited,  were 
well  worthy  a  place  in  any  antiquarian's  armoiy.  I 
remember  in  particular  one  that  hung  in  the  Ti,  and 
which  Mehevi — supposing  as  a  matter  of  course  that  I 
was  able  to  repair  it  —  had  put  into  my  hands  for  that 
purpose.  It  was  one  of  those  clumsy,  old-fashioned,  Eng 
lish  pieces  known  generally  as  Tower  Hill  muskets,  and, 
for  aught  I  know,  might  have  been  left  on  the  island 
by  Wallace,  Carteret,  Cook,  or  Vancouver.  The  stock 
was  half  rotten  and  worm-eaten ;  the  lock  was  as  rusty 
and  about  as  well  adapted  to  its  ostensible  purpose  as 
an  old  door-hinge ;  the  threading  of  the  screws  about 


F1RE-AEMS  273 

the  trigger  was  completely  worn  away ;  while  the  barrel 
shook  in  the  wood.  Such  was  the  weapon  the  chief 
desired  me  to  restore  to  its  original  condition.  As  I 
did  not  possess  the  accomplishments  of  a  gunsmith, 
and  was  likewise  destitute  of  the  necessary  tools,  I  was 
reluctantly  obliged  to  signify  my  inability  to  perform 
the  task.  At  this  unexpected  communication  Mehevi 
regarded  me,  for  a  moment,  as  if  he  half  suspected  I 
was  some  inferior  sort  of  white  man,  who  after  all  did 
not  know  much  more  than  a  Typee.  However,  after  a 
most  laboured  explanation  of  the  matter,  I  succeeded  in 
making  him  understand  the  extreme  difficulty  of  the 
task.  Scarcely  satisfied  with  my  apologies,  however, 
he  inarched  off  with  the  superannuated  musket  in  some 
thing  of  a  huff,  as  if  he  would  no  longer  expose  it  to 
the  indignity  of  being  manipulated  by  such  unskilful 
fingers. 

During  the  festival  I  had  not  failed  to  remark  the 
simplicity  of  manner,  the  freedom  from  all  restraint, 
and,  to  a  certain  degree,  the  equality  of  condition  mani 
fested  by  the  natives  in  general.  No  one  appeared  to 
assume  any  arrogant  pretensions.  There  was  little 
more  than  a  slight  difference  in  costume  to  distinguish 
the  chiefs  from  the  other  natives.  All  appeared  to  mix 
together  freely,  and  without  any  reserve;  although  I 
noticed  that  the  wishes  of  a  chief,  even  when  delivered 
in  the  mildest  tone,  received  the  same  immediate  obedi 
ence  which  elsewhere  would  have  been  only  accorded  to 
a  peremptory  command.  What  may  be  the  extent  of 
the  authority  of  the  chiefs  over  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  I 
will  not  venture  to  assert ;  but  from  all  I  saw  during 
my  stay  in  the  valley,  I  was  induced  to  believe  that  in 
matters  concerning  the  general  welfare  it  was  very 


274  TYPEE 

limited.  The  required  degree  of  deference  towards 
them,  however,  was  willingly  and  cheerfully  yielded ; 
and  as  all  authority  is  transmitted  from  father  to  son, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  one  of  the  effects  here,  as  else 
where,  of  high  birth,  is  to  induce  respect  and  obedience. 

The  civil  institutions  of  the  Marquesas  Islands  appear 
to  be  in  this,  as  in  other  respects,  directly  the  reverse  of 
those  of  the  Tahitian  and  Hawaiian  groups,  where  the 
original  power  of  the  King  and  chiefs  was  far  more  des 
potic  than  that  of  any  tyrant  in  civilised  countries.  At 
Tahiti  it  used  to  be  death  for  one  of  the  inferior  orders 
to  approach,  without  permission,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  king's  house ;  or  fail  in  paying  the  customary  rever 
ence  when  food  destined  for  the  king  was  borne  past 
them  by  his  messengers.  At  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
Kaahumanu,  the  gigantic  old  dowager  queen  —  a  woman 
of  nearly  four  hundred  pounds'  weight,  and  who  is  said 
to  be  still  living  at  Mowee  —  was  accustomed,  in  some 
of  her  terrific  gusts  of  temper,  to  snatch  up  an  ordinary 
sized  man  who  had  offended  her,  and  snap  his  spine 
across  her  knee.  Incredible  as  this  may  seem,  it  is  a 
fact.  While  at  Lahainaluna  —  the  residence  of  this 
monstrous  Jezebel  —  a  humpbacked  wretch  was  pointed 
out  to  me,  who,  some  twenty-five  years  previously,  had 
had  the  vertebrse  of  his  back-bone  very  seriously  dis 
composed  by  his  gentle  mistress. 

The  particular  grades  of  rank  existing  among  the 
chiefs  of  Typee,  I  could  not  in  all  cases  determine. 
Previous  to  the  Feast  of  Calabashes  I  had  been  puzzled 
what  particular  station  to  assign  to  Mehevi.  But  the 
important  part  he  took  upon  that  occasion  convinced 
me  that  he  had  no  superior  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
valley.  I  had  invariably  noticed  a  certain  degree  of  def- 


GRADATIONS  IN  RANK  275 

erence  paid  to  him  by  all  with  whom  I  had  ever  seen 
him  brought  in  contact;  but  when  I  remembered  that 
my  wanderings  had  been  confined  to  a  limited  portion 
of  the  valley,  and  that  towards  the  sea  a  number  of  dis 
tinguished  chiefs  resided,  some  of  whom  had  separately 
visited  me  at  Marheyo's  house,  and  whom,  until  the 
Festival,  I  had  never  seen  in  the  company  of  Mehevi,  I 
felt  disposed  to  believe  that  his  rank  after  all  might  not 
be  particularly  elevated. 

The  revels,  however,  had  brought  together  all  the 
warriors  whom  I  had  seen  individually  and  in  groups  at 
different  times  and  places.  Among  them  Mehevi  moved 
with  an  easy  air  of  superiority  which  was  not  to  be  mis 
taken  ;  and  he  whom  I  had  only  looked  at  as  the  hospit 
able  host  of  the  Ti,  and  one  of  the  military  leaders  of 
the  tribe,  now  assumed  in  my  eyes  the  dignity  of  royal 
station.  His  striking  costume,  no  less  than  his  naturally 
commanding  figure,  seemed  indeed  to  give  him  pre 
eminence  over  the  rest.  The  towering  helmet  of  feathers 
that  he  wore  raised  him  in  height  above  all  who  sur 
rounded  him;  and  though  some  others  were  similarly 
adorned,  the  length  and  luxuriance  of  their  plumes  were 
far  inferior  to  his. 

Mehevi  was  in  fact  the  greatest  of  the  chiefs  —  the 
head  of  his  clan  —  the  sovereign  of  the  valley ;  and  the 
simplicity  of  the  social  institutions  of  the  people  could 
not  have  been  more  completely  proved  than  by  the  fact, 
that  after  having  been  several  weeks  in  the  valley,  and 
almost  io  daily  intercourse  with  Mehevi,  I  should  have 
remained  until  the  time  of  the  festival  ignorant  of  his 
regal  character.  But  a  new  light  had  now  broken  in 
upon  me.  The  Ti  was  the  palace  —  and  Mehevi  the 
king.  Both  the  one  and  the  other  of  a  most  simple  and 


276  TYPEE 

patriarchal  nature  it  must  be  allowed,  and  wholly  un 
attended  by  the  ceremonious  pomp  which  usually  sur 
rounds  the  purple. 

After  having  made  this  discovery  I  could  not  avoid 
congratulating  myself  that  Mehevi  had  from  the  first 
taken  me  as  it  were  under  his  royal  protection,  and  that 
he  still  continued  to  entertain  for  me  the  warmest  regard, 
as  far  at  least  as  I  was  enabled  to  judge  from  appearances. 
For  the  future  I  determined  to  pay  most  assiduous  court 
to  him,  hoping  that  eventually  through  his  kindness  I 
might  obtain  my  liberty. 


KING  MEHEVI  277 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

King  Mehevi  —  Allusion  to  his  Hawaiian  Majesty — Conduct  of  Mar- 
heyo  and  Mehevi  in  certain  Delicate  Matters  —  Peculiar  System  of 
Marriage  —  Number  of  Population  —  Uniformity  —  Embalming  — 
Places  of  Sepulchre  —  Funeral  Obsequies  at  Nukuheva  —  Number 
of  Inhabitants  in  Typee  —  Location  of  the  Dwellings  —  Happiness 
enjoyed  in  the  Valley  —  A  Warning  —  Some  Ideas  with  regard  to 
the  Civilisation  of  the  Islands  —  Reference  to  the  Present  State  of 
the  Hawaiians  —  Fashionable  Equipages  at  Oahu  —  Reflections. 

KING  MEHEVI  !  —  A  goodly  sounding  title !  —  and 
why  should  I  not  bestow  it  upon  the  foremost  man  in 
the  valley  of  Typee?  The  republican  missionaries  of 
Oahu  cause  to  be  gazetted  in  the  Court  Journal,  pub 
lished  at  Honolulu,  the  most  trivial  movements  of  "  his 
gracious  majesty "  King  Kamehameha  III.,  and  "  their 
highnesses  the  princes  of  the  blood  royal." l  And  who 

1  Accounts  like  these  are  sometimes  copied  into  English  and 
American  journals.  They  lead  the  reader  to  infer  that  the  arts  and 
customs  of  civilised  life  are  rapidly  refining  the  natives  of  the  Sand 
wich  Islands.  But  let  no  one  be  deceived  by  these  accounts.  The 
chiefs  swagger  about  in  gold  lace  and  broadcloth,  while  the  great  mass 
of  the  common  people  are  nearly  as  primitive  in  their  appearance  as 
in  the  days  of  Cook.  In  the  progress  of  events  at  these  islands,  the 
two  classes  are  receding  from  each  other:  the  chiefs  are  daily  becom 
ing  more  luxurious  and  extravagant  in  their  style  of  living,  and  the 
common  people  more  and  more  destitute  of  the  necessaries  and 
decencies  of  life.  But  the  end  to  which  both  will  arrive  at  last  will 
be  the  same:  the  one  are  fast  destroying  themselves  by  sensual  indul 
gences,  and  the  other  are  fast  being  destroyed  by  a  complication  of 
disorders,  and  the  want  of  wholesome  food.  The  resources  of  the 
domineering  chiefs  are  wrung  from  the  starving  serfs,  and  every  addi- 


278  TYPES 

is  his  "  gracious  majesty,"  and  what  the  quality  of  this 
"  blood  royal "  ?  His  "  gracious  majesty "  is  a  fat, 
lazy,  negro-looking  blockhead,  with  as  little  character  as 
power.  He  has  lost  the  noble  traits  of  the  barbarian, 
without  acquiring  the  redeeming  graces  of  a  civilised 
being ;  and,  although  a  member  of  the  Hawaiian  Tem 
perance  Society,  is  a  most  inveterate  dram-drinker. 

The  "  blood  royal "  is  an  extremely  thick,  depraved 
fluid ;  formed  principally  of  raw  fish,  bad  brandy,  and 
European  sweetmeats,  and  is  charged  with  a  variety 
of  eruptive  humours,  which  are  developed  in  sundry 
blotches  and  pimples  upon  the  august  face  of  "  majesty 
itself,"  and  the  angelic  countenances  of  the  "princes 
and  princesses  of  the  blood  royal ! " 

Now,  if  the  farcical  puppet  of  a  chief  magistrate  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands  be  allowed  the  title  of  King,  why 
should  it  be  withheld  from  the  noble  savage  Mehevi, 
who  is  a  thousand  times  more  worthy  of  the  appellation? 
All  hail,  therefore,  Mehevi,  King  of  the  Cannibal  Valley, 
and  long  life  and  prosperity  to  his  Typeean  majesty! 
May  Heaven  for  many  a  year  preserve  him,  the  uncom 
promising  foe  of  Nukuheva  and  the  French,  if  a  hostile 
attitude  will  secure  his  lovely  domain  from  the  remorse 
less  inflictions  of  South  Sea  civilisation. 

Previously  to  seeing  the  Dancing  Widows  I  had  little 
idea  that  there  were  any  matrimonial  relations  subsisting 
in  Typee,  and  I  should  as  soon  have  thought  of  a  Pla 
tonic  affection  being  cultivated  between  the  sexes,  as  of 
the  solemn  connexion  of  man  and  wife.  To  be  sure, 

tional  bauble  with  which  they  bedeck  themselves  is  purchased  by  the 
sufferings  of  their  bondsmen;  so  that  the  measure  of  gew-gaw  refine 
ment  attained  by  the  chiefs  is  only  an  index  to  the  actual  state  of 
degradation  In  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  population  lie  groTel- 
ling. 


MEHEVrS  BEHAVIOUR  279 

there  were  old  Marheyo  and  Tinor,  who  seemed  to  have 
a  sort  of  nuptial  understanding  with  one  another ;  but 
for  all  that,  I  had  sometimes  observed  a  comical-looking 
old  gentleman  dressed  in  a  suit  of  shabby  tattooing,  who 
had  the  audacity  to  take  various  liberties  with  the  lady, 
and  that  too  in  the  very  presence  of  the  old  warrior  her 
husband,  who  looked  on,  as  good-naturedly  as  if  nothing 
was  happening.  This  behaviour,  until  subsequent  dis 
coveries  enlightened  me,  puzzled  me  more  than  anything 
else  I  witnessed  in  Typee. 

As  for  Mehevi,  I  had  supposed  him  a  confirmed  bache 
lor,  as  well  as  most  of  the  principal  chiefs.  At  any 
rate,  if  they  had  wives  and  families,  they  ought  to 
have  been  ashamed  of  themselves ;  for  sure  I  am,  they 
never  troubled  themselves  about  any  domestic  affairs. 
In  truth,  Mehevi  seemed  to  be  the  president  of  a  club 
of  hearty  fellows,  who  kept  "  Bachelor's  Hall  "  in  fine 
style  at  the  Ti.  I  had  no  doubt  but  that  they  regarded 
children  as  odious  incumbrances ;  and  their  ideas  of 
domestic  felicity  were  sufficiently  shown  in  the  fact, 
that  they  allowed  no  meddlesome  housekeepers  to  turn 
topsy-turvy  those  snug  little  arrangements  they  had 
made  in  their  comfortable  dwelling.  I  strongly  sus 
pected,  however,  that  some  of  these  jolly  bachelors  were 
carrying  on  love  intrigues  with  the  maidens  of  the  tribe ; 
although  they  did  not  appear  publicly  to  acknowledge 
them.  I  happened  to  pop  upon  Mehevi  three  or  four 
times  when  he  was  romping  —  in  a  most  undignified 
manner  for  a  warrior  king  —  with  one  of  the  prettiest 
little  witches  in  the  valley.  She  lived  with  an  old 
woman  and  a  young  man,  in  a  house  near  Marheyo's ; 
and  although  in  appearance  a  mere  child  herself,  had  a 
noble  boy  about  a  year  old,  who  bore  a  marvellous 


280  TYPEE 

resemblance  to  Mehevi,  whom  I  should  certainly  have 
believed  to  have  been  the  father,  were  it  not  that  the 
little  fellow  had  no  triangle  on  his  face  —  but  on  second 
thoughts,  tattooing  is  not  hereditary.  Mehevi,  how 
ever,  was  not  the  only  person  upon  whom  the  damsel 
Moonoony  smiled  —  the  young  fellow  of  fifteen,  who 
permanently  resided  in  the  house  with  her,  was  decidedly 
in  her  good  graces.  I  sometimes  beheld  both  him  and 
the  chief  making  love  at  the  same  time.  Is  it  possible, 
thought  I,  that  the  valiant  warrior  can  consent  to  give 
up  a  corner  in  the  thing  he  loves?  This  too  was  a 
mystery  which,  with  others  of  the  same  kind,  was  after 
wards  satisfactorily  explained. 

During  the  second  day  of  the  Feast  of  Calabashes, 
Kory-Kory  —  being  determined  that  I  should  have  some 
understanding  on  these  matters  —  had,  in  the  course  of 
his  explanations,  directed  my  attention  to  a  peculiarity 
I  had  frequently  remarked  among  many  of  the  females ; 
— principally  those  of  a  mature  age  and  rather  matronly 
appearance.  This  consisted  in  having  the  right  hand 
and  the  left  foot  most  elaborately  tattooed ;  while  the 
rest  of  the  body  was  wholly  free  from  the  operation  of 
the  art,  with  the  exception  of  the  minutely  dotted  lips 
and  slight  marks  on  the  shoulders,  to  which  I  have  pre 
viously  referred  as  comprising  the  sole  tattooing  exhib 
ited  by  Fayaway,  in  common  with  other  young  girls  of 
her  age.  The  hand  and  foot  thus  embellished  were, 
according  to  Kory-Kory,  the  distinguishing  badge  of 
wedlock,  so  far  as  that  social  and  highly  commendable 
institution  is  known  among  these  people.  It  answers, 
indeed,  the  same  purpose  as  the  plain  gold  ring  worn  by 
our  fairer  spouses. 

After  Kory-Kory's  explanation  of  the  subject,  I  was 


THE  MARRIAGE  CONTRACT  281 

for  some  time  studiously  respectful  in  the  presence  of 
all  females  thus  distinguished,  and  never  ventured  to 
indulge  in  the  slightest  approach  to  flirtation  with  any 
of  their  number.  Married  women,  to  be  sure !  —  I  knew 
better  than  to  offend  them. 

A  further  insight  however  into  the  peculiar  domestic 
customs  of  the  inmates  of  the  valley  did  away  in  a 
measure  with  the  severity  of  my  scruples,  and  convinced 
me  that  I  was  deceived  in  some  at  least  of  my  conclu 
sions.  A  regular  system  of  polygamy  exists  among  the 
islanders ;  but  of  a  most  extraordinary  nature,  —  a  plu 
rality  of  husbands,  instead  of  wives ;  and  this  solitary 
fact  speaks  volumes  for  the  gentle  disposition  of  the 
male  population.  Where  else,  indeed,  could  such  a 
practice  exist,  even  for  a  single  day?  Imagine  a  revo 
lution  brought  about  in  a  Turkish  seraglio,  and  the 
harem  rendered  the  abode  of  bearded  men  ;  or  conceive 
some  beautiful  woman  in  our  own  country  running  dis 
tracted  at  the  sight  of  her  numerous  lovers  murdering 
one  another  before  her  eyes,  out  of  jealousy  for  the 
unequal  distribution  of  her  favours !  Heaven  defend 
us  from  such  a  state  of  things!  We  are  scarcely  ami 
able  and  forbearing  enough  to  submit  to  it. 

I  was  not  able  to  learn  what  particular  ceremony  was 
observed  in  forming  the  marriage  contract,  but  am  in 
clined  to  think  that  it  must  have  been  of  a  very  simple 
nature.  Perhaps  the  mere  "  popping  the  question,"  as 
it  is  termed  with  us,  might  have  been  followed  by  an 
immediate  nuptial  alliance.  At  any  rate,  I  have  more 
than  one  reason  to  believe  that  tedious  courtships  are 
unknown  in  the  valley  of  Typee. 

The  males  considerably  outnumber  the  females.  This 
holds  true  of  many  of  the  islands  of  Polynesia,  although 


282  TTPEE 

the  reverse  of  what  is  the  case  in  most  civilised  coun. 
tries.  The  girls  are  first  wooed  and  won,  at  a  very 
tender  age,  by  some  stripling  in  the  household  in  which 
they  reside.  This,  however,  is  a  mere  frolic  of  the 
affections,  and  no  formal  engagement  is  contracted. 
By  the  time  this  first  love  has  a  little  subsided,  a  second 
suitor  presents  himself,  of  graver  years,  and  carries  both 
boy  and  girl  away  to  his  own  habitation.  This  disinter 
ested  and  generous-hearted  fellow  now  weds  the  young 
couple  —  marrying  damsel  and  lover  at  the  same  time  — 
and  all  three  thenceforth  live  together  as  harmoniously 
as  so  many  turtles.  I  have  heard  of  some  men  who  in 
civilised  countries  rashly  marry  large  families  with  their 
wives,  but  had  no  idea  that  there  was  any  place  where 
people  married  supplementary  husbands  with  them. 
Infidelity  on  either  side  is  very  rare.  No  man  has  more 
than  one  wife,  and  no  wife  of  mature  years  has  less  than 
two  husbands,  —  sometimes  she  has  three,  but  such 
instances  are  not  frequent.  The  marriage  tie,  whatever 
it  may  be,  does  not  appear  to  be  indissoluble ;  for  sepa 
rations  occasionally  happen.  These,  however,  when 
they  do  take  place,  produce  no  unhappiness,  and  are 
preceded  by  no  bickerings ;  for  the  simple  reason,  that 
an  ill-used  wife  or  a  hen-pecked  husband  is  not  obliged 
to  file  a  bill  in  Chancery  to  obtain  a  divorce.  As  noth 
ing  stands  in  the  way  of  a  separation,  the  matrimonial 
yoke  sits  easily  and  lightly,  and  a  Typee  wife  lives  on 
very  pleasant  and  sociable  terms  with  her  husbands. 
On  the  whole,  wedlock,  as  known  among  these  Typees, 
seems  to  be  of  a  more  distinct  and  enduring  nature  than 
is  usually  the  case  with  barbarous  people.  A  baneful 
promiscuous  intercourse  of  the  sexes  is  hereby  avoided, 
and  virtue,  without  being  clamorously  invoked,  is,  as  it 
were»  unconsciously  practised. 


THE  AEEOI  SOCIETY  283 

The  contrast  exhibited  between  the  Marquesas  and 
other  islanders  of  the  Pacific  in  this  respect,  is  worthy 
of  being  noticed.  At  Tahiti  the  marriage  tie  was  alto 
gether  unknown  ;  and  the  relation  of  husband  and  wife, 
father  and  son,  could  hardly  be  sa:d  to  exist.  The 
Areoi  Society  —  one  of  the  most  singular  institutions 
that  ever  existed  in  any  part  of  the  world  —  spread 
universal  licentiousness  over  the  island.  It  was  the 
voluptuous  character  of  these  people  which  rendered 
the  disease  introduced  among  them  by  De  Bougain 
ville's  ships,  in  1768,  doubly  destructive.  It  visited 
them  like  a  plague,  sweeping  them  off  by  hundreds. 

Notwithstanding  the  existence  of  wedlock  among  the 
Typees,  the  Scriptural  injunction  to  increase  and  multi 
ply  seems  to  be  but  indifferently  attended  to.  I  never 
saw  any  of  those  large  families  in  arithmetical  or  step- 
ladder  progression  which  one  often  meets  with  at  home. 
I  never  knew  of  more  than  two  youngsters  living 
together  in  the  same  home,  and  but  seldom  even  that 
number.  As  for  the  women,  it  was  very  plain  that  the 
anxieties  of  the  nursery  but  seldom  disturbed  the  seren 
ity  of  their  souls ;  and  they  were  never  to  be  seen  going 
about  the  valley  with  half  a  score  of  little  ones  tagging 
at  their  apron-strings,  or  rather  at  the  bread-fruit-leaf 
they  usually  wore  in  the  rear. 

The  ratio  of  increase  among  all  the  Polynesian 
nation  is  very  small ;  and  in  some  places  as  yet  uncor- 
rupted  by  intercourse  with  Europeans,  the  births  would 
appear  but  very  little  to  outnumber  the  deaths  ;  the 
population  in  sucli  instances  remaining  nearly  the  same 
for  several  successive  generations,  even  upon  those 
islands  seldom  or  never  desolated  by  wars,  and  among 
people  with  whom  the  crime  of  infanticide  is  altogether 


284  TYPEE 

unknown.  This  would  seem  expressly  ordained  b. 
Providence  to  prevent  the  overstocking  of  the  islands 
with  a  race  too  indolent  to  cultivate  the  ground,  and 
who,  for  that  reason  alone,  would,  by  any  considerable 
increase  in  their  numbers,  be  exposed  to  the  most 
deplorable  misery.  During  the  entire  period  of  my 
stay  in  the  valley  of  Typee,  I  never  saw  more  than  ten 
or  twelve  children  under  the  age  of  six  months,  and 
only  became  aware  of  two  births. 

It  is  to  the  absence  of  the  marriage  tie  that  the  late 
rapid  decrease  of  the  population  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  of  Tahiti  is  in  part  to  be  ascribed.  The 
vices  and  diseases  introduced  among  these  unhappy 
people  annually  swell  the  ordinary  mortality  of  the 
islands,  while,  from  the  same  cause,  the  originally  small 
number  of  births  is  proportionally  decreased.  Thus 
the  progress  of  the  Hawaiians  and  Tahitians  to  utter 
extinction  is  accelerated  in  a  sort  of  compound  ratio. 

I  have  before  had  occasion  to  remark  that  I  never 
saw  any  of  the  ordinary  signs  of  a  place  of  sepulture 
in  the  valley,  a  circumstance  which  I  attributed,  at  the 
time,  to  my  living  in  a  particular  part  of  it,  and  being 
forbidden  to  extend  my  rambles  to  any  considerable 
distance  towards  the  sea.  I  have  since  thought  it  prob 
able,  however,  that  the  Typees,  either  desirous  of 
removing  from  their  sight  the  evidences  of  mortality, 
or  prompted  by  a  taste  for  rural  beauty,  may  have  some 
charming  cemetery  situated  in  the  shadowy  recesses 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains.  At  Nukuheva,  two  or 
three  large  quadrangular  "pi-pis,"  heavily  flagged, 
enclosed  with  regular  stone  walls,  and  shaded  over  and 
almost  hidden  from  view  by  the  interlacing  branches  of 
enormous  trees,  were  pointed  out  to  me  as  burial-places. 


FUNEEAL  EITE8  285 

The  bodies,  I  understood,  were  deposited  in  rude  vaults 
beneath  the  flagging,  and  were  suffered  to  remain  there 
without  being  disinterred.  Although  nothing  could  be 
more  strange  and  gloomy  than  the  aspect  of  these 
places,  where  the  lofty  trees  threw  their  dark  shadows 
over  rude  blocks  of  stone,  a  stranger  in  looking  at  them 
would  have  discerned  none  of  the  ordinary  evidences  of 
a  place  of  sepulture. 

During  my  stay  in  the  valley,  as  none  of  its  inmates 
were  so  accommodating  as  to  die  and  be  buried  in  order 
to  gratify  my  curiosity  with  regard  to  their  funeral  rites, 
I  was  reluctantly  obliged  to  remain  in  ignorance  of 
them.  As  I  have  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  the 
observances  of  the  Typees  in  these  matters  are  the  same 
with  those  of  all  the  other  tribes  on  the  island,  I  will 
here  relate  a  scene  I  chanced  to  witness  at  Nukuheva. 

A  young  man  had  died,  about  daybreak,  in  a  house 
near  the  beach.  I  had  been  sent  ashore  that  morning, 
and  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  preparations  they  were  mak 
ing  for  his  obsequies.  The  body,  neatly  wrapped  in 
new  white  tappa,  was  laid  out  in  an  open  shed  of  cocoa- 
nut  boughs,  upon  a  bier  constructed  of  elastic  bamboos 
ingeniously  twisted  together.  This  was  supported, 
about  two  feet  from  the  ground,  by  large  canes  planted 
upright  in  the  earth.  Two  females,  of  a  dejected 
appearance,  watched  by  its  side,  plaintively  chanting 
and  beating  the  air  with  large  grass  fans  whitened  with 
pipe-clay.  In  the  dwelling-house  adjoining  a  numerous 
company  were  assembled,  and  various  articles  of  food 
were  being  prepared  for  consumption.  Two  or  three 
individuals,  distinguished  by  head-dresses  of  beautiful 
tappa,  and  wearing  a  great  number  of  ornaments, 
appeared  to  officiate  as  masters  of  the  ceremonies.  By 


286  TYPES 

noon  the  entertainment  had  fairly  begun,  and  we  were 
told  that  it  would  last  during  the  whole  of  the  two  fol 
lowing  days.  With  the  exception  of  those  who  mourned 
by  the  corpse,  every  one  seemed  disposed  to  drown  the 
sense  of  the  late  bereavement  in  convivial  indulgence. 
The  girls,  decked  out  in  their  savage  finery,  danced; 
the  old  men  chanted;  the  warriors  smoked  and  chatted; 
and  the  young  and  lusty,  of  both  sexes,  feasted  plenti 
fully,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves  as  pleasantly  as 
they  could  have  done  had  it  been  a  wedding. 

The  islanders  understand  the  art  of  embalming,  and 
practise  it  with  such  success,  that  the  bodies  of  their 
great  chiefs  are  frequently  preserved  for  many  years  in 
the  very  houses  where  they  died.  I  saw  three  of  these 
in  my  visit  to  the  Bay  of  Tior.  One  was  enveloped 
in  immense  folds  of  tappa,  with  only  the  face  exposed, 
and  hung  erect  against  the  side  of  the  dwelling.  The 
others  were  stretched  out  upon  biers  of  bamboo,  in  open, 
elevated  temples,  which  seemed  consecrated  to  their 
memory.  The  heads  of  enemies  killed  in  battle  are 
invariably  preserved  and  hung  up  as  trophies  in  the 
house  of  the  conqueror.  I  am  not  acquainted  with  the 
process  which  is  in  use,  but  believe  that  fumigation  is 
the  principal  agency  employed.  All  the  remains  which 
I  saw  presented  the  appearance  of  a  ham  after  being 
suspended  for  some  time  in  a  smoky  chimney. 

But  to  return  from  the  dead  to  the  living.  The 
late  festival  had  drawn  together,  as  I  had  every  reason 
to  believe,  the  whole  population  of  the  vale,  and  con 
sequently  I  was  enabled  to  make  some  estimate  with 
regard  to  its  numbers.  I  should  imagine  that  there 
were  about  two  thousand  inhabitants  in  Typee;  and  no 
number  could  have  been  better  adapted  to  the  extent  of 


IDLENESS  OF  THE  NATIVES  287 

the  valley.  The  valley  is  some  nine  miles  in  length, 
and  may  average  one  in  breadth;  the  houses  being  dis 
tributed  at  wide  intervals  throughout  its  whole  extent, 
principally,  however,  towards  the  head  of  the  vale. 
There  are  no  villages :  the  houses  stand  here  and  there 
in  the  shadow  of  the  groves,  or  are  scattered  along  the 
banks  of  the  winding  stream ;  their  golden-hued  bamboo 
sides  and  gleaming  white  thatch  forming  a  beautiful 
contrast  to  the  perpetual  verdure  in  which  they  are 
embowered.  There  are  no  roads  of  any  kind  in  the 
valley  —  nothing  but  a  labyrinth  of  foot-paths  twisting 
and  turning  among  the  thickets  without  end. 

The  penalty  of  the  Fall  presses  very  lightly  upon  the 
valley  of  Typee ;  for,  with  the  one  solitary  exception  of 
striking  a  light,  I  scarcely  saw  any  piece  of  work  per 
formed  there  which  caused  the  sweat  to  stand  upon  a 
single  brow.  As  for  digging  and  delving  for  a  liveli 
hood,  the  thing  is  altogether  unknown.  Nature  had 
planted  the  bread-fruit  and  the  banana,  and  in  her  own 
good  time  she  brings  then  to  maturity,  when  the  idle 
savage  stretches  forth  his  hand,  and  satisfies  his  appetite. 

Ill-fated  people  !  I  shudder  when  I  think  of  the 
change  a  few  years  will  produce  in  their  paradisaical 
abode ;  and  probably  when  the  most  destructive  vices, 
and  the  worst  attendances  on  civilisation,  shall  have 
driven  all  peace  and  happiness  from  the  valley,  the 
magnanimous  French  will  proclaim  to  the  world  that 
the  Marquesas  Islands  have  been  converted  to  Christi 
anity  !  and  this  the  Catholic  world  will  doubtless  con 
sider  as  a  glorious  event.  Heaven  help  the  "  Isles  of 
the  Sea !  "  —  The  sympathy  which  Christendom  feels  for 
them  has,  alas  !  in  too  many  instances  proved  their  bane. 

How  little  do  some  of  these  poor  islanders  compre- 


288  TTPEE 

hend  when  they  look  around  them,  that  no  inconsidera 
ble  part  of  their  disasters  originate  in  certain  tea-party 
excitements,  under  the  influence  of  which  benevolent- 
looking  gentlemen  in  white  cravats  solicit  alms,  and  old 
ladies  in  spectacles,  and  young  ladies  in  sober  russet  low 
gowns,  contribute  sixpences  towards  the  creation  of  a 
fund,  the  object  of  which  is  to  ameliorate  the  spiritual 
condition  of  the  Polynesians,  but  whose  end  has  almost 
invariably  been  to  accomplish  their  temporal  destruc 
tion  ! 

Let  the  savages  be  civilised,  but  civilise  them  with 
benefits,  and  not  with  evils ;  and  let  heathenism  be  de 
stroyed,  but  not  by  destroying  the  heathen.  The 
Anglo-Saxon  hive  have  extirpated  Paganism  from  the 
greater  part  of  the  North  American  continent ;  but 
with  it  they  have  likewise  extirpated  the  greater  por 
tion  of  the  Red  race.  Civilisation  is  gradually  sweep 
ing  from  the  earth  the  lingering  vestiges  of  Paganism, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  shrinking  forms  of  its  unhappy 
worshippers. 

Among  the  islands  of  Polynesia,  no  sooner  are  the 
images  overturned,  the  temples  demolished,  and  the 
idolaters  converted  into  nominal  Christians,  than  dis 
ease,  vice,  and  premature  death  make  their  appearance. 
The  depopulated  land  is  then  recruited  from  the  rapa 
cious  hordes  of  enlightened  individuals  who  settle 
themselves  within  its  border,  and  clamorously  announce 
the  progress  of"  the  Truth.  Neat  villas,  trim  gardens, 
shaven  lawns,  spires,  and  cupolas  arise,  while  the  poor 
savage  soon  finds  himself  an  interloper  in  the  country 
of  his  fathers,  and  that  too  on  the  very  site  of  the  hut 
where  he  was  born.  The  spontaneous  fruits  of  the 
earth,  which  God  in  his  wisdom  had  ordained  for  the 


BANISHING  IDOLATRY  289 

support  of  the  indolent  natives,  remorselessly  seized 
upon  and  appropriated  by  the  stranger,  are  devoured 
before  the  eyes  of  the  starving  inhabitants,  or  sent  on 
board  the  numerous  vessels  which  now  touch  at  their 
shores. 

When  the  famished  wretches  are  cut  off  in  this  man 
ner  from  their  natural  supplies,  they  are  told  by  their 
benefactors  to  work  and  earn  their  support  by  the  sweat 
of  their  brows !  But  to  no  fine  gentleman  born  to 
hereditary  opulence  does  manual  labour  come  more  un 
kindly  than  to  the  luxurious  Indian  when  thus  robbed  of 
the  bounty  of  Heaven.  Habituated  to  a  life  of  indo 
lence,  he  cannot  and  will  not  exert  himself ;  and  want, 
disease,  and  vice,  all  evils  of  foreign  growth,  soon  ter 
minate  his  miserable  existence. 

But  what  matters  all  this  ?  Behold  the  glorious  re 
sult  !  —  The  abominations  of  Paganism  have  given  way 
to  the  pure  rites  of  the  Christian  worship,  —  the  igno 
rant  savage  has  been  supplanted  by  the  refined  Euro 
pean  !  Look  at  Honolulu,  the  metropolis  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands !  —  A  community  of  disinterested 
merchants,  and  devoted  self-exiled  heralds  of  the  Cross, 
located  on  the  very  spot  that  twenty  years  ago  was  de 
filed  by  the  presence  of  idolatry.  What  a  subject  for 
an  eloquent  Bible-meeting  orator!  Nor  has  such  an 
opportunity  for  a  display  of  missionary  rhetoric  been 
allowed  to  pass  by  unimproved !  —  But  when  these 
philanthropists  send  us  such  glowing  accounts  of  one 
half  of  their  labours,  why  does  their  modesty  restrain 
them  from  publishing  the  other  half  of  the  good  they 
have  wrought  ?  —  Not  until  I  visited  Honolulu  was  I 
aware  of  the  fact  that  the  small  remnant  of  the  natives 
had  been  civilised  into  draught  horses,  and  evangelised 


290  TYPEE 

into  beasts  of  burden.  But  so  it  is.  They  have  been 
literally  broken  into  the  traces,  and  are  harnessed  to 
the  vehicles  of  their  spiritual  instructors  like  so  many 
dumb  brutes ! 

Lest  the  slightest  misconception  should  arise  from 
anything  thrown  out  in  this  chapter,  or  indeed  in  any 
other  part  of  the  volume,  let  me  here  observe,  that 
against  the  cause  of  missions  in  the  abstract  no  Chris 
tian  can  possibly  be  opposed :  it  is  in  truth  a  just  and 
holy  cause.  But  if  the  great  end  proposed  by  it  be 
spiritual,  the  agency  employed  to  accomplish  that  end 
is  purely  earthly  ;  and,  although  the  object  in  view  be 
the  achievement  of  much  good,  that  agency  may  never 
theless  be  productive  of  evil.  In  short,  missionary  un 
dertaking,  however  it  may  be  blessed  of  Heaven,  is  in 
itself  but  human  ;  and  subject,  like  everything  else,  to 
errors  and  abuses.  And  have  not  errors  and  abuses 
crept  into  the  most  sacred  places,  and  may  there  not  be 
unworthy  or  incapable  missionaries  abroad,  as  well  as 
ecclesiastics  of  a  similar  character  at  home  ?  May  not 
the  unworthiness  or  incapacity  of  those  who  assume 
apostolic  functions  upon  the  remote  islands  of  the  sea 
more  easily  escape  detection  by  the  world  at  large  than 
if  it  were  displayed  in  the  heart  of  a  city?  An  un 
warranted  confidence  in  the  sanctity  of  its  apostles  — 
a  proneness  to  regard  them  as  incapable  of  guile  —  and 
an  impatience  of  the  least  suspicion  as  to  their  rectitude 
as  men  or  Christians,  have  ever  been  prevailing  faults 
in  the  Church.  Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at:  for 
subject  as  Christianity  is  to  the  assaults  of  unprincipled 
foes,  we  are  naturally  disposed  to  regard  everything 
like  an  exposure  of  ecclesiastical  misconduct  as  the 


SANDWICH  ISLAND  MISSIONS  291 

offspring  of  malevolence  or  irreligious  feeling.  Not 
even  this  last  consideration,  however,  shall  deter  me 
from  the  honest  expression  of  my  sentiments. 

There  is  something  decidedly  wrong  in  the  practical 
operations  of  the  Sandwich  Island  Missions.  Those 
who  from  pure  religious  motives  contribute  to  the  sup 
port  of  this  enterprise,  should  take  care  to  ascertain 
that  their  donations,  flowing  through  many  devious 
channels,  at  last  effect  their  legitimate  object,  the  con 
version  of  the  Hawaiians.  I  urge  this  not  because  I 
doubt  the  moral  probity  of  those  who  disburse  these 
funds,  but  because  I  know  that  they  are  not  rightly 
applied.  To  read  pathetic  accounts  of  missionary 
hardships,  and  glowing  descriptions  of  conversions,  and 
baptisms  taking  place  beneath  palm-trees,  is  one  thing; 
and  to  go  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  see  the  mission 
aries  dwelling  in  picturesque  and  prettily-furnished 
coral-rock  villas,  whilst  the  miserable  natives  are  com 
mitting  all  sorts  of  immoralities  around  them,  is  quite 
another. 

In  justice  to  the  missionaries,  however,  I  will  will 
ingly  admit,  that  whatever  evils  may  have  resulted 
from  their  collective  mismanagement  of  the  business  of 
the  mission,  and  from  the  want  of  vital  piety  evinced 
by  some  of  their  number,  still  the  present  deplorable 
condition  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  by  no  means 
wholly  chargeable  against  them.  The  demoralising  in 
fluence  of  a  dissolute  foreign  population,  and  the  fre 
quent  visits  of  all  descriptions  of  vessels,  have  tended 
not  a  little  to  increase  the  evils  alluded  to.  In  a  word, 
here,  as  in  every  case  where  Civilisation  has  in  any  way 
been  introduced  among  those  whom  we  call  savages,  she 
has  scattered  her  vices,  and  withheld  her  blessings. 


292  TYPEE 

As  wise  a  man  as  Shakspeare  has  said,  that  the 
bearer  of  evil  tidings  hath  but  a  losing  office  ;  and  so  I 
suppose  will  it  prove  with  me,  in  communicating  to  the 
trusting  friends  of  the  Hawaiian  Mission  what  has  been 
disclosed  in  various  portions  of  this  narrative.  I  am 
persuaded,  however,  that  as  these  disclosures  will  by 
their  very  nature  attract  attention,  so  they  will  lead  to 
something  which  will  not  be  without  ultimate  benefit  to 
the  cause  of  Christianity  in  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

I  have  but  one  thing  more  to  add  in  connection  with 
this  subject  —  those  things  which  I  have  stated  as  facts 
will  remain  facts,  in  spite  of  whatever  the  bigoted  or 
incredulous  may  say  or  write  against  them.  My  reflec 
tions,  however,  on  those  facts  may  not  be  free  from 
error.  If  such  be  the  case,  I  claim  no  further  indul 
gence  than  should  be  conceded  to  every  man  whose 
object  is  to  do  good. 


GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  TYPEES   293 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  social  Condition  and  general  Character  of  the  Typees. 

I  HAVE  already  mentioned  that  the  influence  exerted 
over  the  people  of  the  valley  by  their  chiefs  was  mild  in 
the  extreme :  and  as  to  any  general  rule  or  standard  of 
conduct  by  which  the  commonalty  were  governed  in  their 
intercourse  with  each  other,  so  far  as  my  observation  ex 
tended,  I  should  be  almost  tempted  to  say  that  none 
existed  on  the  island,  except,  indeed,  the  mysterious 
"  Taboo  "  be  considered  as  such.  During  the  time  I 
lived  among  the  Typees,  no  one  was  ever  put  upon  his 
trial  for  any  offence  against  the  public.  To  all  appear 
ances  there  were  no  courts  of  law  or  equity.  There 
were  no  municipal  police  for  the  purpose  of  apprehend 
ing  vagrants  and  disorderly  characters.  In  short,  there 
were  no  legal  provisions  whatever  for  the  well-being 
and  conservation  of  society,  the  enlightened  end  of 
civilised  legislation.  And  yet  everything  went  on  in 
the  valley  with  a  harmony  and  smoothness  unparalleled, 
I  will  venture  to  assert,  in  the  most  select,  refined,  and 
pious  associations  of  mortals  in  Christendom.  How  are 
we  to  explain  this  enigma?  These  islanders  were 
heathens  !  savages  !  ay,  cannibals  !  and  how  came  they, 
without  the  aid  of  established  law,  to  exhibit,  in  so  emi 
nent  a  degree,  that  social  order  which  is  the  greatest 
blessing  and  highest  pride  of  the  social  state  ? 

It  may  reasonably  be  enquired,  how  were  these  people 


294  TYPEE 

governed?  how  were  their  passions  controlled  in  their 
e  very-day  transactions?  It  must  have  been  by  an  in 
herent  principle  of  honesty  and  charity  towards  each 
other.  They  seemed  to  be  governed  by  that  sort  of 
tacit  common-sense  law,  which,  say  what  they  will  of 
the  inborn  lawlessness  of  the  human  race,  has  its  pre 
cepts  graven  on  every  breast.  The  grand  principles  of 
virtue  and  honour,  however  they  may  be  distorted  by 
arbitrary  codes,  are  the  same  all  the  world  over :  and 
where  these  principles  are  concerned,  the  right  or 
wrong  of  any  action  appears  the  same  to  the  unculti 
vated  as  to  the  enlightened  mind.  It  is  to  this  indwell 
ing,  this  universally  diffused  perception  of  what  is 
just  and  noble,  that  the  integrity  of  the  Marquesans  in 
their  intercourse  with  each  other  is  to  be  attributed.  In 
the  darkest  nights  they  slept  securely,  with  all  their 
worldly  wealth  around  them,  in  houses  the  doors  of 
which  were  never  fastened.  The  disquieting  ideas  of 
theft  or  assassination  never  disturbed  them.  Each 
islander  reposed  beneath  his  own  palmetto  thatching,  or 
sat  under  his  own  bread-fruit-tree,  with  none  to  molest 
or  alarm  him.  There  was  not  a  padlock  in  the  valley, 
nor  anything  that  answered  the  purpose  of  one  :  still 
there  was  no  community  of  goods.  This  long  spear,  so 
elegantly  carved  and  highly  polished,  belongs  to  Wor- 
moonoo :  it  is  far  handsomer  than  the  one  which  old 
Marheyo  so  greatly  prizes ;  it  is  the  most  valuable  arti 
cle  belonging  to  its  owner.  And  yet  I  have  seen  it 
leaning  against  a  cocoa-nut  tree  in  the  grove,  and  there 
it  was  found  when  sought  for.  Here  is  a  sperm-whale 
tooth,  graven  all  over  with  cunning  devices :  it  is  the 
property  of  Karluna :  it  is  the  most  precious  of  the 
damsel's  ornaments.  In  her  estimation  its  price  is  far 


SOCIAL   CONDITION  295 

above  rubies  —  and  yet  there  hangs  the  dental  jewel  by 
its  cord  of  braided  bark,  in  the  girl's  house,  which  is  far 
back  in  the  valley ;  the  door  is  left  open,  and  all  the  in 
mates  have  gone  off  to  bathe  in  the  stream.1 

So  much  for  the  respect  in  which  "personal  prop 
erty"  is  held  in  Typee;  how  secure  an  investment  of 
"  real  property  "  may  be,  I  cannot  take  upon  me  to  say. 
Whether  the  land  of  the  valley  was  the  joint  property 
of  its  inhabitants,  or  whether  it  was  parcelled  out 
among  a  certain  number  of  landed  proprietors  who 
allowed  everybody  to  "  squat "  and  "  poach  "  as  much 
as  he  or  she  pleased,  I  never  could  ascertain.  At  any 
rate,  musty  parchments  and  title  deeds  there  were  none 
on  the  island ;  and  I  am  half  inclined  to  believe  that 
its  inhabitants  hold  their  broad  valleys  in  fee  simple 
from  Nature  herself ;  to  have  and  to  hold,  so  long  as 
grass  grows  and  water  runs  ;  or  until  their  French  vis 
itors,  by  a  summary  mode  of  conveyancing,  shall  appro 
priate  them  to  their  own  benefit  and  behoof. 

Yesterday  I  saw  Kory-Kory  hie  him  away,  armed 
with  a  long  pole,  with  which,  standing  on  the  ground, 
he  knocked  down  the  fruit  from  the  topmost  boughs  of 
the  trees,  and  brought  them  home  in  his  basket  of 

1  The  strict  honesty  which  the  inhabitants  of  nearly  all  the  Polyne 
sian  Islands  manifest  towards  each  other,  is  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  thieving  propensities  some  of  them  evince  in  their  intercourse 
with  foreigners.  It  would  almost  seem  that,  according  to  their  pecu 
liar  code  of  morals,  the  pilfering  of  a  hatchet  or  a  wrought  nail  from 
a  European  is  looked  upon  as  a  praiseworthy  action.  Or  rather,  it 
may  be  presumed,  that  bearing  in  mind  the  wholesale  forays  made 
upon  them  by  their  nautical  visitors,  they  consider  the  property  of 
the  latter  as  a  fair  object  of  reprisal.  This  consideration,  while  it 
serves  to  reconcile  an  apparent  contradiction  in  the  moral  character 
of  the  islanders,  should  in  some  measure  alter  that  low  opinion  of  it 
which  the  reader  of  South  Sea  voyages  is  too  apt  to  form. 


296  TTPEE 

cocoa-nut  leaves.  To-day  I  see  an  islander,  whom  I 
know  to  reside  in  a  distant  part  of  the  valley,  doing  the 
self-same  thing.  On  the  sloping  bank  of  the  stream 
are  a  number  of  banana-trees.  I  have  often  seen  a 
score  or  two  of  young  people  making  a  merry  foray  on 
the  great  golden  clusters,  and  bearing  them  off,  one 
after  another,  to  different  parts  of  the  vale,  shouting 
and  tramping  as  they  went.  No  churlish  old  curmud 
geon  could  have  been  the  owner  of  that  grove  of  bread 
fruit-trees,  or  of  these  gloriously  yellow  bunches  of 
bananas. 

From  what  I  have  said  it  will  be  perceived  that  there 
is  a  vast  difference  between  "  personal  property  "  arid 
"  real  estate  "  in  the  valley  of  Typee.  Some  individ 
uals,  of  course,  are  more  wealthy  than  others.  For 
example :  the  ridge-pole  of  Marheyo's  house  bends 
under  the  weight  of  many  a  huge  package  of  tappa ; 
his  long  couch  is  laid  with  mats  placed  one  upon  the 
other  seven  deep.  Outside,  Tinor  has  ranged  along  in 
her  bamboo  cupboard  —  or  whatever  the  place  may  be 
called  —  a  goodly  array  of  calabashes  and  wooden 
trenchers.  Now,  the  house  just  beyond  the  grove,  and 
next  to  Marheyo's,  occupied  by  Ruaruga,  is  not  quite  so 
well  furnished.  There  are  only  three  moderate-sized 
packages  swinging  overhead  :  there  are  only  two  layers 
of  mats  beneath,  and  the  calabashes  and  trenchers  are 
not  so  numerous,  nor  so  tastefully  stained  and  carved. 
But  then,  Ruaruga  has  a  house  —  not  so  pretty  a  one, 
to  be  sure  —  but  just  as  commodious  as  Marheyo's ; 
and,  I  suppose,  if  he  wished  to  vie  with  his  neighbour's 
establishment,  he  could  do  so  with  very  little  trouble. 
These,  in  short,  constituted  the  chief  differences  per 
ceivable  in  th<5  relative  wealth  of  the  people  in  Typee. 


SPIRIT  OF  UNANIMITY  297 

Civilisation  does  not  engross  all  the  virtues  of  hu 
manity  :  she  has  not  even  her  full  share  of  them.  They 
flourish  in  greater  abundance  and  attain  greater  strength 
among  many  barbarous  people.  The  hospitality  of  the 
wild  Arab,  the  courage  of  the  North  American  Indian, 
and  the  faithful  friendships  of  some  of  the  Polynesian 
nations,  far  surpass  anything  of  a  similar  kind  among 
the  polished  communities  of  Europe.  If  truth  and 
justice,  and  the  better  principles  of  our  nature,  cannot 
exist  unless  enforced  by  the  statute-book,  how  are  we 
to  account  for  the  social  condition  of  the  Typees  ?  So 
pure  and  upright  were  they  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
that  entering  their  valley,  as  I  did,  under  the  most 
erroneous  impressions  of  their  character,  I  was  soon  led 
to  exclaim  in  amazement :  "  Are  these  the  ferocious 
savages,  the  blood-thirsty  cannibals  of  whom  I  have 
heard  such  frightful  tales !  They  deal  more  kindly 
with  each  other,  and  are  more  humane,  than  many  who 
study  essays  on  virtue  and  benevolence,  and  who  repeat 
every  night  that  beautiful  prayer  breathed  first  by  the 
lips  of  the  divine  and  gentle  Jesus."  I  will  frankly 
declare,  that  after  passing  a  few  weeks  in  this  valley  of 
the  Marquesas,  I  formed  a  higher  estimate  of  human 
nature  than  I  had  ever  before  entertained.  But  alas ! 
since  then  I  have  been  one  of  the  crew  of  a  man-of- 
war,  and  the  pent-up  wickedness  of  five  hundred  men 
has  nearly  overturned  all  my  previous  theories. 

There  was  one  admirable  trait  in  the  general  charac 
ter  of  the  Typees  which,  more  than  any  thing  else, 
secured  my  admiration :  it  was  the  unanimity  of  feeling 
they  displayed  on  every  occasion.  With  them  there 
hardly  appeared  to  be  any  difference  of  opinion  upon 
any  subject  whatever.  They  all  thought  and  acted 


298  TTPEE 

alike.  I  do  not  conceive  that  they  could  support  a 
debating  society  for  a  single  night:  there  would  be 
nothing  to  dispute  about ;  and  were  they  to  call  a  con 
vention  to  take  into  consideration  the  state  of  the  tribe, 
its  session  would  be  a  remarkably  short  one.  They 
showed  this  spirit  of  unanimity  in  every  action  of  life : 
everything  was  done  in  concert  and  good  fellowship. 
I  will  give  an  instance  of  this  fraternal  feeling. 

One  day,  in  returning  with  Kory-Kory  from  my  ac 
customed  visit  to  the  Ti,  we  passed  by  a  little  opening 
in  the  grove ;  on  one  side  of  which,  my  attendant  mj 
formed  me,  was  that  afternoon  to  be  built  a  dwelling  of 
bamboo.  At  least  a  hundred  of  the  natives  were  bring 
ing  materials  to  the  ground,  some  carrying  in  their 
hands  one  or  two  of  the  canes  which  were  to  form  the 
sides,  others  slender  rods  of  the  habiscus,  strung  with 
palmetto  leaves,  for  the  roof.  Every  one  contributed 
something  to  the  work ;  and  by  the  united,  but  easy, 
and  even  indolent,  labors  of  all,  the  entire  work  was 
completed  before  sunset.  The  islanders,  while  em 
ployed  in  erecting  this  tenement,  reminded  me  of  a 
colony  of  beavers  at  work.  To  be  sure,  they  were 
hardly  as  silent  and  demure  as  those  wonderful  crea 
tures,  nor  were  they  by  any  means  as  diligent.  To  tell 
the  truth,  they  were  somewhat  inclined  to  be  lazy,  but 
a  perfect  tumult  of  hilarity  prevailed ;  and  they  worked 
together  so  unitedly,  and  seemed  actuated  by  such  an 
instinct  of  friendliness,  that  it  was  truly  beautiful  to 
behold. 

Not  a  single  female  took  part  in  this  employment : 
and  if  the  degree  of  consideration  in  which  the  ever- 
adorable  sex  is  held  by  the  men  be  —  as  the  philoso 
phers  affirm  —  a  just  criterion  of  the  degree  of  refine- 


THE  GENTLE  SEX  299 

ment  among  a  people,  then  I  may  truly  pronounce  the 
Typees  to  be  as  polished  a  community  as  ever  the  sun 
ghone  upon.  The  religious  restrictions  of  the  taboo 
alone  excepted,  the  women  of  the  valley  were  allowed 
every  possible  indulgence.  Nowhere  are  the  ladies 
more  assiduously  courted ;  nowhere  are  they  better 
appreciated  as  the  contributors  to  our  highest  enjoy 
ments;  and  nowhere  are  they  more  sensible  of  their 
power.  Far  different  from  their  condition  among  many 
rude  nations,  where  the  women  are  made  to  perform  all 
the  work  while  their  ungallant  lords  and  masters  lie 
buried  in  sloth,  the  gentle  sex  in  the  valley  of  Typee 
were  exempt  from  toil,  if  toil  it  might  be  called  that, 
even  in  that  tropical  climate,  never  distilled  one  drop 
of  perspiration.  Their  light  household  occupations, 
together  with  the  manufacture  of  tappa,  the  platting  of 
mats,  and  the  polishing  of  drinking-vessels,  were  the 
only  employments  pertaining  to  the  women.  And  even 
these  resembled  those  pleasant  avocations  which  fill  up 
the  elegant  morning  leisure  of  our  fashionable  ladies 
at  home.  But  in  these  occupations,  slight  and  agreea 
ble  though  they  were,  the  giddy  young  girls  very  seldom 
engaged.  Indeed  these  wilful,  care-killing  damsels 
were  averse  to  all  useful  employment.  Like  so  many 
spoiled  beauties,  they  ranged  through  the  groves  — 
bathed  in  the  stream  —  danced  —  flirted  —  played  all 
manner  of  mischievous  pranks,  and  passed  their  days  in 
one  merry  round  of  thoughtless  happiness. 

During  my  whole  stay  on  the  island  I  never  wit- 
nessed  a  single  quarrel,  nor  anything  that  in  the  slight 
est  degree  approached  even  to  a  dispute.  The  natives 
appeared  to  form  one  household,  whose  members  were 
bound  together  by  the  ties  of  strong  affection.  The 


800  TTPEE 

love  of  kindred  I  did  not  so  much  perceive,  for  it 
seemed  blended  in  the  general  love;  and  where  all 
were  treated  as  brothers  and  sisters,  it  was  hard  to  tell 
who  were  actually  related  to  each  other  by  blood. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  I  have  overdrawn  this 
picture.  I  have  not  done  so.  Nor  let  it  be  urged,  that 
the  hostility  of  this  tribe  to  foreigners,  and  the  heredi 
tary  feuds  they  carry  on  against  their  fellow-islanders 
beyond  the  mountains,  are  facts  which  contradict  me. 
Not  so:  these  apparent  discrepancies  are  easily  recon 
ciled.  By  many  a  legendary  tale  of  violence  and  wrong, 
as  well  as  by  events  which  have  passed  before  their 
eyes,  these  people  have  been  taught  to  look  upon  white 
men  with  abhorrence.  The  cruel  invasion  of  their 
country  by  Porter  has  alone  furnished  them  with  ample 
provocation ;  and  I  can  sympathise  in  the  spirit  which 
prompts  the  Typee  warrior  to  guard  all  the  passes  to 
his  valley  with  the  point  of  his  levelled  spear,  and, 
standing  upon  the  beach,  with  his  back  turned  upon  his 
green  home,  to  hold  at  bay  the  intruding  European. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  enmity  of  this  particular  clan 
towards  the  neighbouring  tribes,  I  cannot  so  confidently 
speak.  I  will  not  say  that  their  foes  are  the  aggressors, 
nor  will  I  endeavour  to  palliate  their  conduct.  But 
surely,  if  our  evil  passions  must  find  vent,  it  is  far  better 
to  expend  them  on  strangers  and  aliens,  than  in  the 
bosom  of  the  community  in  which  we  dwell.  In  many 
polished  countries  civil  contentions,  as  well  as  domestic 
enmities,  are  prevalent,  at  the  same  time  that  the  most 
atrocious  foreign  wars  are  waged.  How  much  less 
guilty,  then,  are  our  islanders,  who  of  these  three  sins 
are  only  chargeable  with  one,  and  that  the  least  criminal ! 

The  reader  will  ere  long  have  reason  to  suspect  that 


CANNIBALISM  301 

the  Typees  are  not  free  from  the  guilt  of  cannibalism  • 
and  he  will  then,  perhaps,  charge  me  with  admiring  a 
people  against  whom  so  odious  a  crime  is  chargeable. 
But  this  only  enormity  in  their  character  is  not  half  so 
horrible  as  it  is  usually  described.  According  to  the 
popular  fictions,  the  crews  of  vessels,  shipwrecked  on 
some  barbarous  coast,  are  eaten  alive  like  so  many 
dainty  joints  by  the  uncivil  inhabitants  ;  and  unfortunate 
voyagers  are  lured  into  smiling  and  treacherous  bays; 
knocked  in  the  head  with  outlandish  war-clubs-,  and 
served  up  without  any  preliminary  dressing.  In  truth, 
so  horrific  and  improbable  are  these  accounts,  that 
many  sensible  and  well-informed  people  will  not  believe 
that  any  cannibals  exist ;  and  place  every  book  of  voyages 
which  purports  to  give  any  account  of  them,  on  the 
same  shelf  with  Blue  Beard  and  Jack  the  Giant-Killer; 
while  others,  implicitly  crediting  the  most  extravagant 
fictions,  firmly  believe  that  there  are  people  in  the  world 
with  tastes  so  depraved  that  they  would  infinitely  pre 
fer  a  single  mouthful  of  material  humanity  to  a  good 
dinner  of  roast  beef  and  plum  pudding.  But  here, 
Truth,  who  loves  to  be  centrally  located,  is  again  found 
between  the  two  extremes ;  for  cannibalism  to  a  certain 
moderate  extent  is  practised  among  several  of  the  primi 
tive  tribes  in  the  Pacific,  but  it  is  upon  the  bodies  of 
slain  enemies  alone ;  and  horrible  and  fearful  as  the 
custom  is,  immeasurably  as  it  is  to  be  abhorred  and 
condemned,  still  I  assert  that  those  who  indulge  in  it 
are  in  other  respects  humane  and  virtuous. 


302  TYPES 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Fishing  Parties  —  Mode  of  distributing  the  Fish — Midnight  Banquet  — 
Timekeeping  Tapers  —  Unceremonious  style  of  eating  the  Fish. 

THERE  was  no  instance  in  which  the  social  and  kindly 
dispositions  of  the  Typees  were  more  forcibly  evinced 
than  in  the  manner  they  conducted  their  great  fishing 
parties.  Four  times  during  my  stay  in  the  valley  the 
young  men  assembled  near  the  full  of  the  moon,  and 
went  together  on  these  excursions.  As  they  were  gen 
erally  absent  about  forty-eight  hours,  I  was  led  to 
believe  that  they  went  out  towards  the  open  sea,  some 
distance  from  the  bay.  The  Polynesians  seldom  use  a 
hook  and  line,  almost  always  employing  large  well- 
made  nets,  most  ingeniously  fabricated  from  the  twisted 
fibres  of  a  certain  bark.  I  examined  several  of  them 
which  had  been  spread  to  dry  upon  the  beach  at  Nuku- 
heva.  They  resemble  very  much  our  own  seines,  and 
I  should  think  were  very  nearly  as  durable. 

All  the  South  Sea  Islanders  are  passionately  fond  of 
fish ;  but  none  of  them  can  be  more  so  than  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Typee.  I  could  not  comprehend,  therefore, 
why  they  so  seldom  sought  it  in  their  waters,  for  it  was 
only  at  stated  times  that  the  fishing  parties  were 
formed,  and  these  occasions  were  always  looked  forward 
to  with  no  small  degree  of  interest. 

During  their  absence  the  whole  population  of  the 
place  were  in  a  ferment,  and  nothing  was  talked  of  but 
"pehee,  pehee"  (fish,  fish).  Towards  the  time  when 


A  FISHING  PARTY  308 

they  were  expected  to  return  the  vocal  telegraph  was 
put  into  operation  —  the  inhabitants,  who  were  scat 
tered  throughout  the  length  of  the  valley,  leaped  upon 
rocks  and  into  trees,  shouting  with  delight  at  the 
thoughts  of  the  anticipated  treat.  As  soon  as  the 
approach  of  the  party  was  announced,  there  was  a 
general  rush  of  the  men  towards  the  beach;  some  of 
them  remaining,  however,  about  the  Ti,  in  order  to 
get  matters  in  readiness  for  the  reception  of  the  fish, 
which  were  brought  to  the  Taboo  groves  in  immense 
packages  of  leaves,  each  one  of  them  being  suspended 
from  a  pole  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  two  men. 

I  was  present  at  the  Ti  on  one  of  these  occasions,  and 
the  sight  was  most  interesting.  After  all  the  packages 
had  arrived,  they  were  laid  in  a  row  under  the  verandah 
of  the  building  and  opened.  The  fish  were  all  quite 
small,  generally  about  the  size  of  a  herring,  and  of 
every  variety  of  colour.  About  one-eighth  of  the  whole 
being  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  Ti  itself,  the  remainder 
was  divided  into  numerous  smaller  packages,  which 
were  immediately  dispatched  in  every  direction  to  the 
remotest  parts  of  the  valley.  Arrived  at  their  destina 
tion,  these  were  in  turn  portioned  out,  and  equally  dis 
tributed  among  the  various  houses  of  each  particular 
district.  The  fish  were  under  a  strict  Taboo,  until  the 
distribution  was  completed,  which  seemed  to  be  effected 
in  the  most  impartial  manner.  By  the  operation  of 
this  system  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  vale 
were  at  one  and  the  same  time  partaking  of  this  favour 
ite  article  of  food. 

Once  I  remember  the  party  arrived  at  midnight ;  but 
the  unseasonableness  of  the  hour  did  not  repress  the 
impatience  of  the  islanders.  The  carriers  dispatched 


304  TTPEE 

from  the  Ti  were  to  be  seen  hurrying  in  all  directions 
through  the  deep  groves;  each  individual  preceded  by 
a  boy  bearing  a  flaming  torch  of  dried  cocoa-nut  boughs, 
which  from  time  to  time  was  replenished  from  the 
materials  scattered  along  the  path.  The  wild  glare  of 
these  enormous  flambeaux,  lighting  up  with  a  startling 
brilliancy  the  innermost  recesses  of  the  vale,  and  seen 
moving  rapidly  along  beneath  the  canopy  of  leaves,  the 
savage  shout  of  the  excited  messengers  sounding  the 
news  of  their  approach,  which  was  answered  on  all 
sides,  and  the  strange  appearance  of  their  naked  bodies, 
seen  against  the  gloomy  background,  produced  alto 
gether  an  effect  upon  my  mind  that  I  shall  long 
remember. 

It  was  on  this  same  occasion  that  Kory-Kory  awak 
ened  me  at  the  dead  hour  of  night,  and  in  a  sort  of 
transport  communicated  the  intelligence  contained  in 
the  words  "pehee  pemi"  (fish  come).  As  I  happened 
to  have  been  in  a  remarkably  sound  and  refreshing 
slumber,  I  could  not  imagine  why  the  information  had 
not  been  deferred  until  morning;  indeed,  I  felt  very 
much  inclined  to  fly  into  a  passion  and  box  my  valet's 
ears ;  but  on  second  thoughts  I  got  quietly  up,  and  on 
going  outside  the  house  was  not  a  little  interested  by 
the  moving  illumination  which  I  beheld. 

When  old  Marheyo  received  his  share  of  the  spoils, 
immediate  preparations  were  made  for  a  midnight  ban 
quet;  calabashes  of  poee-poee  were  filled  to  the  brim; 
green  bread-fruit  was  roasted;  and  a  huge  cake  of 
"  amar"  was  cut  up  with  a  sliver  of  bamboo  and  laid 
out  on  an  immense  banana-leaf. 

At  this  supper  we  were  lighted  by  several  of  the 
native  tapers,  held  in  the  hands  of  young  girls.  These 


TIME-KEEPING  PAPERS  806 

tapers  are  most  ingeniously  made.  There  is  a  nut 
abounding  in  the  valley,  called  by  the  Typees  "armor," 
closely  resembling  our  common  horse-chestnut.  The 
shell  is  broken,  and  the  contents  extracted  whole.  Any 
number  of  these  are  strung  at  pleasure  upon  the  long 
elastic  fibre  that  traverses  the  branches  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  tree.  Some  of  these  tapers  are  eight  and  ten  feet 
in  length ;  but  being  perfectly  flexible,  one  end  is  held 
in  a  coil,  while  the  other  is  lighted.  The  nut  burns 
with  a  fitful  bluish  flame,  and  the  oil  that  it  contains  is 
exhausted  in  about  ten  minutes.  As  one  burns  down, 
the  next  becomes  ignited,  and  the  ashes  of  the  former 
are  knocked  into  a  cocoa-nut  shell  kept  for  the  purpose. 
This  primitive  candle  requires  continual  attention,  and 
must  be  constantly  held  in  the  hand.  The  person  so 
employed  marks  the  lapse  of  time  by  the  number  of 
nuts  consumed,  which  is  easily  learned  by  counting  the 
bits  of  tappa  distributed  at  regular  intervals  along  the 
string. 

I  grieve  to  state  so  distressing  a  fact,  but  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Typee  were  in  the  habit  of  devouring  fish  much 
in  the  same  way  that  a  civilized  being  would  eat  a 
radish,  and  without  any  more  previous  preparation. 
They  eat  it  raw ;  scales,  bones,  gills,  and  all  the  inside. 
The  fish  is  held  by  the  tail,  and  the  head  being  in 
troduced  into  the  mouth,  the  animal  disappears  with  a 
rapidity  that  would  at  first  nearly  lead  one  to  imagine 
it  had  been  launched  bodily  down  the  throat. 

Raw  fish!  Shall  I  ever  forget  my  sensations  when  I 
first  saw  my  island  beauty  devour  one?  Oh,  heavens! 
Fayaway,  how  could  you  ever  have  contracted  so  vile  a 
habit?  However,  after  the  first  shock  had  subsided, 
the  custom  grew  less  odious  in  my  eyes,  and  I  soon 


306  TYPES 

accustomed  myself  to  the  sight.  Let  no  one  imagine, 
however,  that  the  lovely  Fayaway  was  in  the  habit  of 
swallowing  great  vulgar-looking  fishes:  oh,  no;  with 
her  beautiful  small  hand  she  would  clasp  a  delicate, 
little,  golden-hued  love  of  a  fish,  and  eat  it  as  elegantly 
and  as  innocently  as  though  it  were  Naples  biscuit. 
But,  alas !  it  was  after  all  a  raw  fish ;  and  all  I  can  say 
is,  that  Fay  way  ate  it  in  a  more  ladylike  manner  than 
any  other  girl  of  the  valley. 

When  at  Rome  do  as  the  Romans  do,  I  held  to  be  so 
good  a  proverb,  that  being  in  Typee  I  made  a  point  of 
doing  as  the  Typees  did.  Thus  I  ate  poee-poee  as  they 
did ;  I  walked  about  in  a  garb  striking  for  its  simpli 
city;  and  I  reposed  on  a  community  of  couches;  besides 
doing  many  other  things  in  conformity  with  their 
peculiar  habits;  but  the  farthest  I  ever  went  in  the 
way  of  conformity,  was  on  several  occasions  to  regale 
myself  with  raw  fish.  These  being  remarkably  tender, 
and  quite  small,  the  undertaking  was  not  so  disagree 
able  in  the  main,  and  after  a  few  trials  I  positively 
began  to  relish  them:  however,  I  subjected  them  to  a 
slight  operation  with  my  knife  previously  to  making 
my  repast. 


DOGS  —  A  CAT  307 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Natural  History  of  the  Valley  —  Golden  Lizards  —  Tameness  of  the 
Birds  —  Mosquitos  —  Flies  —  Dogs  —  A  solitary  Cat  —  The  Climate 
—  The  Cocoa-nut  Tree  —  Singular  modes  of  climbing  it  —An  agile 
young  Chief — Fearlessness  of  the  Children  —  Too-Too  and  the 
Cocoa-nut  Tree  —  The  Birds  of  the  Valley. 

I  THINK  I  must  enlighten  the  reader  a  little  about  the 
natural  history  of  the  valley. 

Whence,  in  the  name  of  Count  Buffon  and  Baron 
Cuvier,  came  those  dogs  that  I  saw  in  Typee  ?  Dogs  ! 
—  Big  hairless  rats  rather ;  all  with  smooth,  shining, 
speckled  hides  —  fat  sides,  and  very  disagreeable  faces. 
Whence  could  they  have  come  ?  That  they  were  not 
the  indigenous  production  of  the  region,  I  am  firmly 
convinced.  Indeed,  they  seemed  aware  of  their  being 
interlopers,  looking  fairly  ashamed,  and  always  trying 
to  hide  themselves  in  some  dark  corner.  It  was  plain 
enough  they  did  not  feel  at  home  in  the  vale  —  that 
they  wished  themselves  well  out  of  it,  and  back  to  the 
Ugly  country  from  which  they  must  have  come. 

Scurvy  curs !  they  were  my  abhorrence ;  I  should  have 
liked  nothing  better  than  to  have  been  the  death  of 
every  one  of  them.  In  fact,  on  one  occasion,  I  inti 
mated  the  propriety  of  a  canine  crusade  to  Mehevi ;  but 
the  benevolent  king  would  not  consent  to  it.  He  heard 
me  very  patiently ;  but  when  I  had  finished,  shook  his 
head,  and  told  me,  in  confidence,  that  they  were 
"taboo." 


808  TTPEE 

As  for  the  animal  that  made  the  fortune  of  the  ex- 
lord-mayor  Whittington :  I  shall  never  forget  the  day 
that  I  was  lying  in  the  house  about  noon,  everybody  else 
being  fast  asleep  ;  and  happening  to  raise  my  eyes,  met 
those  of  a  big  black  spectral  cat,  which  sat  erect  in  the 
doorway,  looking  at  me  with  its  frightful  goggling 
green  orbs,  like  one  of  those  monstrous  imps  that  tor 
ment  some  of  Teniers'  saints  !  I  am  one  of  those  un 
fortunate  persons  to  whom  the  sight  of  these  animals  is 
at  any  time  an  insufferable  annoyance. 

Thus  constitutionally  averse  to  cats  in  general,  the 
unexpected  apparition  of  this  one  in  particular  utterly 
confounded  me.  When  I  had  a  little  recovered  from 
the  fascination  of  its  glance,  I  started  up  ;  the  cat  fled, 
and  emboldened  by  this,  I  rushed  out  of  the  house  in 
pursuit ;  but  it  had  disappeared.  It  was  the  only  time  I 
ever  saw  one  in  the  valley,  and  how  it  got  there  I  cannot 
imagine.  It  is  just  possible  that  it  might  have  escaped 
from  one  of  the  ships  at  Nukuheva.  It  was  in  vain  to 
seek  information  on  the  subject  from  the  natives  ;  since 
none  of  them  had  seen  the  animal,  the  appearance  of 
which  remains  a  mystery  to  me  to  this  day. 

Among  the  few  animals  which  are  to  be  met  with  in 
Typee,  there  were  none  which  I  looked  upon  with  more 
interest  than  a  beautiful  golden-hued  species  of  lizard. 
It  measured  perhaps  five  inches  from  head  to  tail,  and 
was  most  gracefully  proportioned.  Numbers  of  these 
creatures  were  to  be  seen  basking  in  the  sunshine  upon 
the  thatching  of  the  houses,  and  multitudes  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  showed  their  glittering  sides  as  they  ran 
frolicking  between  the  spears  of  grass  or  raced  in 
troops  up  and  down  the  tall  shafts  of  the  cocoa-nut 
trees.  But  the  remarkable  beauty  of  these  little  ani- 


TAMENESS   OF  THE  BIRDS  309 

mals  and  their  lively  ways  were  not  their  only  claims 
upon  my  admiration.  They  were  perfectly  tame  and 
insensible  to  fear.  Frequently,  after  seating  myself 
upon  the  ground  in  some  shady  place  during  the  heat 
of  the  day,  I  would  be  completely  overrun  with  them. 
If  I  brushed  one  off  my  arm,  it  would  leap  perhaps  into 
my  hair  :  when  I  tried  to  frighten  it  away  by  gently 
pinching  its  leg,  it  would  turn  for  protection  to  the  very 
hand  that  attacked  it. 

The  birds  are  also  remarkably  tame.  If  you  hap 
pened  to  see  one  perched  upon  a  branch  within  reach  of 
your  arm,  and  advanced  towards  it,  it  did  not  fly  away 
immediately,  but  waited  quietly  looking  at  you,  until 
you  could  almost  touch  it,  and  then  took  wing  slowly, 
less  alarmed  at  your  presence,  it  would  seem,  than  desir 
ous  of  removing  itself  from  your  path.  Had  salt  been 
less  scarce  in  the  valley  than  it  was,  this  was  the  very 
place  to  have  gone  birding  with  it. 

I  remember  that  once,  on  an  uninhabited  island  of  the 
Gallipagos,  a  bird  alighted  on  my  outstretched  arm, 
while  its  mate  chirped  from  an  adjoining  tree.  Its 
tameness,  far  from  shocking  me,  as  a  similar  occurrence 
did  Selkirk,  imparted  to  me  the  most  exquisite  thrill  of 
delight  I  ever  experienced ;  and  with  somewhat  of  the 
same  pleasure  did  I  afterwards  behold  the  birds  and 
lizards  of  the  valley  show  their  confidence  in  the  kind 
liness  of  man. 

Among  the  numerous  afflictions  which  the  Europeans 
have  entailed  upon  some  of  the  natives  of  the  South 
Seas,  is  the  accidental  introduction  among  them  of  that 
enemy  of  all  repose  and  ruffler  of  even  tempers  —  the 
Mosquito.  At  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  at  two  or  three 
of  the  Society  group  there  are  now  thriving  colonies  of 


310  TTPEE 

these  insects,  who  promise  ere  long  to  supplant  alto- 
gether  the  aboriginal  sand-flies.  They  sting,  buzz,  and 
torment,  from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other,  and  by 
incessantly  exasperating  the  natives  materially  obstruct 
the  benevolent  labours  of  the  missionaries. 

From  this  grievous  visitation,  however,  the  Typees 
are  as  yet  wholly  exempt ;  but  its  place  is  unfortunately 
in  some  degree  supplied  by  the  occasional  presence  of  a 
minute  species  of  fly,  which,  without  stinging,  is  never 
theless  productive  of  no  little  annoyance.  The  tame- 
ness  of  the  birds  and  lizards  is  as  nothing  when 
compared  to  the  fearless  confidence  of  this  insect.  He 
will  perch  upon  one  of  your  eye-lashes,  and  go  to  roost 
there,  if  you  do  not  disturb  him,  or  force  his  way 
through  your  hair,  or  along  the  cavity  of  the  nostril, 
till  you  almost  fancy  he  is  resolved  to  explore  the  very 
brain  itself.  On  one  occasion  I  was  so  inconsiderate 
as  to  yawn  while  a  number  of  them  were  hovering 
around  me.  I  never  repeated  the  act.  Some  half- 
dozen  darted  into  the  open  apartment,  and  began  walk 
ing  about  its  ceiling;  the  sensation  was  dreadful.  I 
involuntarily  closed  my  mouth,  and  the  poor  creatures 
being  enveloped  in  inner  darkness,  must  in  their  con 
sternation  have  stumbled  over  my  palate,  and  been  pre 
cipitated  into  the  gulf  beneath.  At  any  rate,  though  I 
afterwards  charitably  held  my  mouth  open  for  at  least 
five  minutes,  with  a  view  of  affording  egress  to  the 
stragglers,  none  of  them  ever  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity. 

There  are  no  wild  animals  of  any  kind  on  the  island, 
unless  it  be  decided  that  the  natives  themselves  are 
such.  The  mountains  and  the  interior  present  to  the 
eye  nothing  but  silent  solitudes,  unbroken  by  the  roar 


THE  GENERAL   CLIMATE  311 

of  beasts  of  prey,  and  enlivened  by  few  tokens  even  of 
minute  animated  existence.  There  are  no  venomous 
reptiles,  and  no  snakes  of  any  description  to  be  found 
in  any  of  the  valleys. 

In  a  company  of  Marquesan  natives  the  weather 
affords  no  topic  of  conversation.  It  can  hardly  be  said 
to  have  any  vicissitudes.  The  rainy  season,  it  is  true, 
brings  frequent  showers,  but  they  are  intermitting  and 
refreshing.  When  an  islander  bound  on  some  expedi 
tion  rises  from  his  couch  in  the  morning,  he  is  never 
solicitous  to  peep  out  and  see  how  the  sky  looks,  or 
ascertain  from  what  quarter  the  wind  blows.  He  is 
always  sure  of  a  "  fine  day,"  and  the  promise  of  a  few 
genial  showers  he  hails  with  pleasure.  There  is  never 
any  of  that  "  remarkable  weather  "  on  the  island  which 
from  time  immemorial  has  been  experienced  in  America, 
and  still  continues  to  call  forth  the  wondering  conver 
sational  exclamations  of  its  elderly  citizens.  Nor  do 
there  even  occur  any  of  those  eccentric  meteorological 
changes  which  elsewhere  surprise  us.  In  the  valley  of 
Typee  ice-creams  would  never  be  rendered  less  accept 
able  by  sudden  frosts,  nor  would  picnic  parties  be  de 
ferred  on  account  of  inauspicious  snow-storms :  for 
there  day  follows  day  in  one  unvarying  round  of 
summer  and  sunshine,  and  the  whole  year  is  one  long 
tropical  month  of  June  just  melting  into  July. 

It  is  this  genial  climate  which  causes  the  cocoa-nuts 
to  flourish  as  they  do.  This  invaluable  fruit,  brought 
to  perfection  by  the  rich  soil  of  the  Marquesas,  and 
borne  aloft  on  a  stately  column  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  from  the  ground,  would  seem  at  first  almost  inac 
cessible  to  the  simple  natives.  Indeed  the  slender, 
smooth,  and  soaring  shaft,  without  a  single  limb  or 


312  TTPEE 

protuberance  of  any  kind  to  assist  one  in  mounting  it, 
presents  an  obstacle  only  to  be  overcome  by  the  surpris 
ing  agility  and  ingenuity  of  the  islanders.  It  might  be 
supposed  that  their  indolence  would  lead  them  patiently 
to  await  the  period  when  the  ripened  nuts,  slowly  part 
ing  from  their  stems,  fall  one  by  one  to  the  ground. 
This  certainly  would  be  the  case,  were  it  not  that  the 
young  fruit,  encased  in  a  soft  green  husk,  with  the  in 
cipient  meat  adhering  in  a  jelly-like  pellicle  to  its  sides, 
and  containing  a  bumper  of  the  most  delicious  nectar, 
is  what  they  chiefly  prize.  They  have  at  least  twenty 
different  terms  to  express  as  many  progressive  stages 
in  the  growth  of  the  nut.  Many  of  them  reject  the 
fruit  altogether  except  at  a  particular  period  of  its 
growth,  which,  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  they  seemed 
to  me  to  be  able  to  ascertain  within  an  hour  or  two. 
Others  are  still  more  capricious  in  their  tastes  ;  and 
after  gathering  together  a  heap  of  the  nuts  of  all  ages, 
and  ingeniously  tapping  them,  will  sip  first  from  one 
and  then  from  another,  as  fastidiously  as  some  delicate 
wine-bibber  experimenting  glass  in  hand  among  his 
dusty  demijohns  of  different  vintages. 

Some  of  the  young  men,  with  more  flexible  frames 
than  their  comrades,  and  perhaps  with  more  courageous 
souls,  had  a  way  of  walking  up  the  trunk  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  trees  which  to  me  seemed  little  less  than  miraculous ; 
and  when  looking  at  them  in  the  act,  I  experienced  that 
curious  perplexity  a  child  feels  when  he  beholds  a  fly 
moving  feet  uppermost  along  a  ceiling. 

I  will  endeavour  to  describe  the  way  in  which  Narnee, 
a  noble  young  chief,  sometimes  performed  this  feat  for 
my  peculiar  gratification  ;  but  his  preliminary  perform 
ances  must  also  be  recorded.  Upon  my  signifying  my 


CLIMBING  A   COCOA-NUT  TREE  313 

desire  that  he  should  pluck  me  the  young  fruit  of  some 
particular  tree,  the  handsome  savage,  throwing  himself 
into  a  sudden  attitude  of  surprise,  feigns  astonishment 
at  the  apparent  absurdity  of  the  request.  Maintaining 
this  position  for  a  moment,  the  strange  emotions  depicted 
on  his  countenance  soften  down  into  one  of  humourous 
resignation  to  my  will,  and  then  looking  wistfully  up  to 
the  tufted  top 'of  the  tree,  he  stands  on  tip-toe,  straining 
his  neck  and  elevating  his  arm,  as  though  endeavouring 
to  reach  the  fruit  from  the  ground  where  he  stands.  As 
if  defeated  in  this  childish  attempt,  he  now  sinks  to  the 
earth  despondingly,  beating  his  breast  in  well-acted  de 
spair  ;  and  then,  starting  to  his  feet  all  at  once,  and 
throwing  back  his  head,  raises  both  hands,  like  a  school 
boy  about  to  catch  a  falling  ball.  After  continuing  this 
for  a  moment  or  two,  as  if  in  expectation  that  the  fruit 
was  going  to  be  tossed  down  to  him  by  some  good  spirit 
in  the  tree-top,  he  turns  wildly  round  in  another  fit  of 
despair,  and  scampers  off  to  the  distance  of  thirty  or 
forty  yards.  Here  he  remains  awhile,  eying  the  tree, 
the  very  picture  of  misery ;  but  the  next  moment,  re 
ceiving,  as  it  were,  a  flash  of  inspiration,  he  rushes  again 
towards  it,  and  clasping  both  arms  about  the  trunk,  with 
one  elevated  a  little  above  the  other,  he  presses  the  soles 
of  his  feet  close  together  against  the  tree,  extending  his 
legs  from  it  until  they  are  nearly  horizontal,  and  his  body 
becomes  doubled  into  an  arch ;  then,  hand  over  hand  and 
foot  after  foot,  he  rises  from  the  earth  with  steady  rapid 
ity,  and  almost  before  you  are  aware  of  it,  has  gained  the 
cradled  and  embowered  nest  of  nuts,  and  with  boisterous 
glee  flings  the  fruit  to  the  ground. 

This  mode  of  walking   the  tree   is  only  practicable 
where  the  trunk  declines  considerably  from  the  perpen- 


314  TYPEE 

dicular.  This,  however,  is  almost  always  the  case  ;  some 
of  the  perfectly  straight  shafts  of  the  trees  leaning  at  an 
angle  of  thirty  degrees. 

The  less  active  among  the  men,  and  many  of  the  chil 
dren  of  the  valley,  have  another  method  of  climbing. 
They  take  a  broad  and  stout  piece  of  bark,  and  secure 
either  end  of  it  to  their  ankles ;  so  that  when  the  feet 
thus  confined  are  extended  apart,  a  space  of  little  more 
than  twelve  inches  is  left  between  them.  This  contri 
vance  greatly  facilitates  the  act  of  climbing.  The  band 
pressed  against  the  tree,  and  closely  embracing  it,  yields 
a  pretty  firm  support ;  while  with  the  arms  clasped  about 
the  trunk,  and  at  regular  intervals  sustaining  the  body, 
the  feet  are  drawn  up  nearly  a  yard  at  a  time,  and  a  cor 
responding  elevation  of  the  hands  immediately  succeeds. 
In  this  way  I  have  seen  little  children,  scarcely  five 
years  of  age,  fearlessly  climbing  the  slender  pole  of  a 
young  cocoa-nut  tree,  and  while  hanging  perhaps  fifty 
feet  from  the  ground,  receive  the  plaudits  of  their  par 
ents  beneath,  who  clapped  their  hands,  and  encouraged 
them  to  mount  still  higher. 

What,  thought  I,  on  first  witnessing  one  of  these  ex 
hibitions,  would  the  nervous  mothers  of  America  and 
England  say  to  a  similar  display  of  hardihood  in  any  of 
their  children  ?  The  Lacedemonian  nations  might  have 
approved  of  it,  but  most  modern  dames  would  have  gone 
into  hysterics  at  the  sight. 

At  the  top  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree  the  numerous  branches 
radiating  on  all  sides  from  a  common  centre,  form  a 
sort  of  green  and  waving  basket,  between  the  leaflets 
of  which  you  just  discern  the  nuts  thickly  clustering  to 
gether,  and  on  the  loftier  trees  looking  no  bigger  from 
the  ground  than  bunches  of  grapes.  I  remember  one 


THE  BIRDS  OF  THE  VALLEY  315 

adventurous  little  fellow  —  Too-Too  was  the  rascal's 
name  —  who  had  built  himself  a  sort  of  aerial  baby-house 
in  the  picturesque  tuft  of  a  tree  adjoining  Marheyo's 
habitation.  He  used  to  spend  hours  there,  —  rustling 
among  the  branches,  and  shouting  with  delight  every 
time  the  strong  gusts  of  wind  rushing  down  from  the 
mountain's  side  swayed  to  and  fro  the  tall  and  flex 
ible  column  on  which  he  was  perched.  Whenever  I 
heard  Too-Too's  musical  voice,  sounding  strangely  to 
the  ear  from  so  great  a  height,  and  beheld  him  peeping 
down  upon  me  from  out  his  leafy  covert,  he  always  re 
called  to  my  mind  Dibdin's  lines  — 

"  There's  a  sweet  little  cherub  that  sits  up  aloft, 
To  look  out  for  the  life  of  poor  Jack." 

Birds  —  bright  and  beautiful  birds  —  fly  over  the 
valley  of  Typee.  You  see  them  perched  aloft  among 
the  immovable  boughs  of  the  majestic  bread-fruit-trees, 
or  gently  swaying  on  the  elastic  branches  of  the  Omoo : 
skimming  over  the  palmetto  thatching  of  the  bamboo 
huts  ;  passing  like  spirits  on  the  wing  through  the  shad 
ows  of  the  grove,  and  sometimes  descending  into  the 
bosom  of  the  valley  in  gleaming  flights  from  the  moun 
tains.  Their  plumage  is  purple  and  azure,  crimson  and 
white,  black  and  gold ;  with  bills  of  every  tint :  — bright 
bloody-red,  jet  black,  and  ivory  white ;  and  their  eyes 
are  bright  and  sparkling ;  they  go  sailing  through  the 
air  in  starry  throngs  ;  but  alas  !  the  spell  of  dumbness  is 
upon  them  all  —  there  is  not  a  single  warbler  in  the 
valley  ! 

I  know  not  why  it  was,  but  the  sight  of  these  birds, 
generally  the  ministers  of  gladness,  always  oppressed  me 


316  TYPES 

with  melancholy.  As  in  their  dumb  beauty  they  hovered 
by  me  whilst  I  was  walking,  or  looked  down  upon  me 
with  steady  curious  eyes  from  out  the  foliage,  I  was  al 
most  inclined  to  fancy  that  they  knew  they  were  gazing 
upon  a  stranger,  and  that  they  commiserated  his  fate. 


PROFESSOR  OF  TATTOOING  BIT 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  Professor  of  the  Fine  Arts  —  His  Persecutions  —  Something  about 
Tattooing  and  Tabooing  =  Two  Anecdotes  in  illustration  of  the  lat 
ter  —  A  few  thoughts  on  the  Typee  Dialect. 

IN  one  of  my  strolls  with  Kory-Kory,  in  passing 
along  the  border  of  a  thick  growth  of  bushes,  my 
attention  was  arrested  by  a  singular  noise.  On  enter 
ing  the  thicket  I  witnessed  for  the  first  time  the  opera 
tion  of  tattooing  as  performed  by  these  islanders. 

I  beheld  a  man  extended  flat  upon  his  back  on  the 
ground,  and,  despite  the  forced  composure  of  his  counte 
nance,  it  was  evident  that  he  was  suffering  agony.  His 
tormentor  bent  over  him,  working  away  for  all  the  world 
like  a  stone-cutter  with  mallet  and  chisel.  In  one  hand 
he  held  a  short  slender  stick,  pointed  with  a  shark's 
tooth,  on  the  upright  end  of  which  he  tapped  with  a 
small  hammer-like  piece  of  wood,  thus  puncturing  the 
skin,  and  charging  it  with  the  colouring  matter  in  which 
the  instrument  was  dipped.  A  cocoa-nut  shell  contain 
ing  this  fluid  was  placed  upon  the  ground.  It  is  pre 
pared  by  mixing  with  a  vegetable  juice  the  ashes  of  the 
"armor,"  or  candle-nut,  always  preserved  for  the  pur 
pose.  Beside  the  savage,  and  spread  out  upon  a  piece  of 
soiled  tappa,  were  a  great  number  of  curious  black- 
looking  little  implements  of  bone  and  wood,  used  in  the 
various  divisions  of  his  art.  A  few  terminated  in  a  sin 
gle  fine  point,  and,  like  very  delicate  pencils,  were  em 
ployed  in  giving  the  finishing  touches,  or  in  operating 


318  TTPEE 

upon  the  more  sensitive  portions  of  the  body,  as  was  the 
case  in  the  present  instance.  Others  presented  several 
points  distributed  in  a  line,  somewhat  resembling  the 
teeth  of  a  saw.  These  were  employed  in  the  coarser 
parts  of  the  work,  and  particularly  in  pricking  in 
straight  marks.  Some  presented  their  points  disposed 
in  small  figures,  and  being  placed  upon  the  body,  were, 
by  a  single  blow  of  the  hammer,  made  to  leave  their 
indelible  impression.  I  observed  a  few  the  handles  of 
which  were  mysteriously  curved,  as  if  intended  to  be 
introduced  into  the  orifice  of  the  ear,  with  a  view  per 
haps  of  beating  the  tattoo  upon  the  tympanum.  Alto 
gether,  the  sight  of  these  strange  instruments  recalled 
to  mind  that  display  of  cruel-looking  mother-of-pearl- 
handled  things  which  one  sees  in  their  velvethlined 
cases  at  the  elbow  of  a  dentist. 

The  artist  was  not  at  this  time  engaged  on  an  original 
sketch,  his  subject  being  a  venerable  savage,  whose  tat 
tooing  had  become  somewhat  faded  with  age  and  needed 
a  few  repairs,  and  accordingly  he  was  merely  employed 
in  touching  up  the  works  of  some  of  the  old  masters  of 
the  Typee  school,  as  delineated  upon  the  human  canvas 
before  him.  The  parts  operated  upon  were  the  eyelids, 
where  a  longitudinal  streak,  like  the  one  which  adorned 
Kory-Kory,  crossed  the  countenance  of  the  victim. 

In  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  poor  old  man,  sundry 
twitchings  and  screwings  of  the  muscles  of  the  face 
denoted  the  exquisite  sensibility  of  these  shutters  to 
the  windows  of  his  soul,  which  he  was  now  having  re 
painted.  But  the  artist,  with  a  heart  as  callous  as  that 
of  an  army  surgeon,  continued  his  performance,  enliven 
ing  his  labours  with  a  wild  chant,  tapping  away  the 
while  as  merrily  as  a  woodpecker. 


NARROWLY  ESCAPES  TATTOOING  819 

So  deeply  engaged  was  he  in  his  work,  that  he  had 
not  observed  our  approach,  until,  after  having  enjoyed 
an  unmolested  view  of  the  operation,  I  chose  to  attract 
his  attention.  As  soon  as  he  perceived  me,  supposing 
that  I  sought  him  in  his  professional  capacity,  he  seized 
hold  of  me  in  a  paroxysm  of  delight,  and  was  all  eager 
ness  to  begin  the  work.  When,  however,  I  gave  him 
to  understand  that  he  had  altogether  mistaken  my 
views,  nothing  could  exceed  his  grief  and  disappoint 
ment.  But  recovering  from  this,  he  seemed  determined 
not  to  credit  my  assertion,  and  grasping  his  implements, 
he  flourished  them  about  in  fearful  vicinity  to  my  face, 
going  through  an  imaginary  performance  of  his  art,  and 
every  moment  bursting  into  some  admiring  exclamation 
at  the  beauty  of  his  designs. 

Horrified  at  the  bare  thought  of  being  rendered  hid 
eous  for  life  if  the  wretch  were  to  execute  his  purpose 
upon  me,  I  struggled  to  get  away  from  him,  while 
Kory-Kory,  turning  traitor,  stood  by,  and  besought  me 
to  comply  with  the  outrageous  request.  On  my  reit 
erated  refusals  the  excited  artist  got  half  beside  him 
self,  and  was  overwhelmed  with  sorrow  at  losing  so 
noble  an  opportunity  of  distinguishing  himself  in  his 
profession. 

The  idea  of  engrafting  his  tattooing  upon  my  white 
skin  filled  him  with  all  a  painter's  enthusiasm  :  again 
and  again  he  gazed  into  my  countenance,  and  every 
fresh  glimpse  seemed  to  add  to  the  vehemence  of  his 
ambition.  Not  knowing  to  what  extremities  he  might 
proceed,  and  shuddering  at  the  ruin  he  might  inflict 
upon  my  figure-head,  I  now  endeavoured  to  draw  off  his 
attention  from  it,  and  holding  out  my  arm  in  a  fit  of 
desperation,  signed  to  him  to  commence  operations. 


320  TTPEE 

But  he  rejected  the  compromise  indignantly,  and  still 
continued  his  attack  on  my  face,  as  though  nothing 
short  of  that  would  satisfy  him.  When  his  forefinger 
swept  across  my  features,  in  laying  out  the  borders  of 
those  parallel  bands  which  were  to  encircle  my  counte 
nance,  the  flesh  fairly  crawled  upon  my  bones.  At  last, 
half  wild  with  terror  and  indignation,  I  succeeded  in 
breaking  away  from  the  three  savages,  and  fled  towards 
old  Marheyo's  house,  pursued  by  the  indomitable  artist, 
who  ran  after  me,  implements  in  hand.  Kory-Kory, 
however,  at  last  interfered,  and  drew  him  off  from  the 
chase. 

This  incident  opened  my  eyes  to  a  new  danger ;  and 
I  now  felt  convinced  that  in  some  luckless  hour  I 
should  be  disfigured  in  such  a  manner  as  never  more  to 
have  the  face  to  return  to  my  countrymen,  even  should 
an  opportunity  offer. 

These  apprehensions  were  greatly  increased  by  the 
desire  which  King  Mehevi  and  several  of  the  inferior 
chiefs  now  manifested  that  I  should  be  tattooed.  The 
pleasure  of  the  king  was  first  signified  to  me  some  three 
days  after  my  casual  encounter  with  Karky  the  artist. 
Heavens !  What  imprecations  I  showered  upon  that 
Karky  !  Doubtless  he  had  plotted  a  conspiracy  against 
me  and  my  countenance,  and  would  never  rest  until  his 
diabolical  purpose  was  accomplished.  Several  times  I 
met  him  in  various  parts  of  the  valley,  and,  invariably, 
whenever  he  descried  me,  he  came  running  after  me 
with  his  mallet  and  chisel,  flourishing  them  about  my 
face  as  if  he  longed  to  begin.  What  an  object  he  would 
have  made  of  me  ! 

When  the  king  first  expressed  his  wish  to  me,  I  made 
known  to  him  my  utter  abhorrence  of  the  measure,  and 


RENEWING  HIS  REQUEST  321 

worked  myself  into  such  a  state  of  excitement,  that  he 
absolutely  stared  at  me  in  amazement.  It  evidently 
surpassed  his  majesty's  comprehension  how  any  sober- 
minded  and  sensible  individual  could  entertain  the  least 
possible  objection  to  so  beautifying  an  operation. 

Soon  afterwards  he  repeated  his  suggestion,  and 
meeting  with  a  like  repulse,  showed  some  symptoms  of 
displeasure  at  my  obduracy.  On  his  a  third  time 
renewing  his  request,  I  plainly  perceived  that  some 
thing  must  be  done,  or  my  visage  was  ruined  forever; 
I  therefore  screwed  up  my  courage  to  the  sticking  point, 
and  declared  my  willingness  to  have  both  arms  tattooed 
from  just  above  the  wrist  to  the  shoulder.  His  majesty 
was  greatly  pleased  at  the  proposition,  and  I  was  con 
gratulating  myself  with  having  thus  compromised  the 
matter,  when  he  intimated  that  as  a  thing  of  course  my 
face  was  first  to  undergo  the  operation.  I  was  fairly 
driven  to  despair;  nothing  but  the  utter  ruin  of  my 
"face  divine,"  as  the  poets  call  it,  would,  I  perceived, 
satisfy  the  inexorable  Mehevi  and  his  chiefs,  or  rather, 
that  infernal  Karky,  for  he  was  at  the  bottom  of  it  all. 

The  only  consolation  afforded  me  was  a  choice  of 
patterns:  I  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  have  my  face 
spanned  by  three  horizontal  bars,  after  the  fashion  of 
my  serving-man's ;  or  to  have  as  many  oblique  stripes 
slanting  across  it;  or  if,  like  a  true  courtier,  I  chose  to 
model  my  style  on  that  of  royalty,  I  might  wear  a  sort 
of  freemason  badge  upon  my  countenance  in  the  shape 
of  a  mystic  triangle.  However,  I  would  have  none  of 
these,  though  the  king  most  earnestly  impressed  upon 
my  mind  that  my  choice  was  wholly  unrestricted.  At 
last,  seeing  my  unconquerable  repugnance,  he  ceased 
to  importune  me. 


322  TTPEE 

But  not  so  some  other  of  the  savages.  Hardly  a  day 
passed  but  I  was  subjected  to  their  annoying  requests, 
until  at  last  my  existence  became  a  burden  to  me ;  the 
pleasures  I  had  previously  enjoyed  no  longer  afforded 
me  delight,  and  all  my  former  desire  to  escape  from  the 
valley  now  revived  with  additional  force. 

A  fact  which  I  soon  afterwards  learned  augmented 
my  apprehension.  The  whole  system  of  tattooing  was, 
I  found,  connected  with  their  religion;  and  it  was 
evident,  therefore,  that  they  were  resolved  to  make  a 
convert  of  me. 

In  the  decoration  of  the  chiefs  it  seems  to  be  neces 
sary  to  exercise  the  most  elaborate  pencilling;  while 
some  of  the  inferior  natives  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
daubed  over  indiscriminately  with  a  house-painter's 
brush.  I  remember  one  fellow  who  prided  himself 
hugely  upon  a  great  oblong  patch,  placed  high  upon 
his  back,  and  who  always  reminded  me  of  a  man  with 
a  blister  of  Spanish  flies  stuck  between  his  shoulders. 
Another  whom  I  frequently  met  had  the  hollow  of  his 
eyes  tattooed  in  two  regular  squares,  and  his  visual 
organs  being  remarkably  brilliant,  they  gleamed  forth 
from  out  this  setting  like  a  couple  of  diamonds  inserted 
in  ebony. 

Although  convinced  that  tattooing  was  a  religious 
observance,  still  the  nature  of  the  connection  between 
it  and  the  superstitious  idolatry  of  the  people  was  a 
point  upon  which  I  could  never  obtain  any  information. 
Like  the  still  more  important  system  of  the  "Taboo," 
it  always  appeared  inexplicable  to  me. 

There  is  a  marked  similarity,  almost  an  identity, 
between  the  religious  institutions  of  most  of  the 
Polynesian  islands,  and  in  all  exists  the  mysterious 


EFFECTS  OF  TABOO  323 

"Taboo,"  restricted  in  its  uses  to  a  greater  or  less  ex 
tent.  So  strange  and  complex  in  its  arrangements  is 
this  remarkable  system,  that  I  have  in  several  cases  met 
with  individuals  who,  after  residing  for  years  among 
the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  and  acquiring  a  considerable 
knowledge  of  the  language,  have  nevertheless  been 
altogether  unable  to  give  any  satisfactory  account  of 
its  operations.  Situated  as  I  was  in  the  Typee  valley,  I 
perceived  every  hour  the  effects  of  this  all-controlling 
power,  without  in  the  least  comprehending  it.  Those 
effects  were,  indeed,  wide-spread  and  universal,  per 
vading  the  most  important  as  well  as  the  minutest 
transactions  of  life.  The  savage,  in  short,  lives  in  the 
continual  observance  of  its  dictates,  which  guide  and 
control  every  action  of  his  being. 

For  several  days  after  entering  the  valley  I  had 
been  saluted  at  least  fifty  times  in  the  twenty-four 
hours  with  the  talismanic  word  "Taboo"  shrieked  in 
my  ears,  at  some  gross  violation  of  its  provisions,  of 
which  I  had  unconsciously  been  guilty.  The  day  after 
our  arrival  I  happened  to  hand  some  tobacco  to  Toby 
over  the  head  of  a  native  who  sat  between  us.  He 
started  up,  as  if  stung  by  an  adder;  while  the  whole 
company,  manifesting  an  equal  degree  of  horror,  sim 
ultaneously  screamed  out  "Taboo!"  I  never  again 
perpetrated  a  similar  piece  of  ill-manners,  which, 
indeed,  was  forbidden  by  the  canons  of  good  breeding, 
as  well  as  by  the  mandates  of  the  taboo.  But  it  was 
not  always  so  easy  to  perceive  wherein  you  had  contra 
vened  the  spirit  of  this  institution.  I  was  many  times 
called  to  order,  if  I  may  use  the  phrase,  when  I  could 
not  for  the  life  of  me  conjecture  what  particular  offence 
I  had  committed. 


324  TYPES 

One  day  I  was  strolling  through  a  secluded  portion 
of  the  valley,  and  hearing  the  musical  sound  of  the 
cloth-mallet  at  a  little  distance,  I  turned  down  a  path 
that  conducted  me  in  a  few  moments  to  a  house  where 
there  were  some  half-dozen  girls  employed  in  making 
tappa.  This  was  an  operation  I  had  frequently  wit 
nessed,  and  had  handled  the  bark  in  all  the  various 
stages  of  its  preparation.  On  the  present  occasion  the 
females  were  intent  upon  their  occupation,  and  after 
looking  up  and  talking  gayly  to  me  for  a  few  moments, 
they  resumed  their  employment.  I  regarded  them  for 
a  while  in  silence,  and  then  carelessly  picking  up  a 
handful  of  the  material  that  lay  around,  proceeded 
unconsciously  to  pick  it  apart.  While  thus  engaged, 
I  was  suddenly  startled  by  a  scream,  like  that  of  a 
whole  boarding-school  of  young  ladies  just  on  the 
point  of  going  into  hysterics.  Leaping  up  with  the 
idea  of  seeing  a  score  of  Happar  warriors  about  to  per 
form  anew  the  Sabine  atrocity,  I  found  myself  con 
fronted  by  the  company  of  girls,  who,  having  dropped 
their  work,  stood  before  me  with  starting  eyes,  swelling 
bosoms,  and  fingers  pointed  in  horror  towards  me. 

Thinking  that  some  venomous  reptile  must  be  con 
cealed  in  the  bark  which  1  held  in  my  hand,  I  began 
cautiously  to  separate  and  examine  it.  Whilst  I  did 
so  the  horrified  girls  redoubled  their  shrieks.  Their 
wild  cries  and  frightened  motions  actually  alarmed  me, 
and  throwing  down  the  tappa,  I  was  about  to  rush  from 
the  house,  when  in  the  same  instant  their  clamours 
ceased,  and  one  of  them  seizing  me  by  the  arm,  pointed 
to  the  broken  fibres  that  had  just  fallen  from  my  grasp, 
and  screamed  in  my  ears  the  fatal  word  Taboo! 

I  subsequently  found  out  that  the  fabric  they  were 


MARK  OF  THE  TABOO  325 

engaged  in  making  was  of  a  peculiar  kind,  destined  to 
be  worn  on  the  heads  of  the  females,  and  through  every 
stage  of  its  manufacture  was  guarded  by  a  rigorous 
taboo,  which  interdicted  the  whole  masculine  gender 
from  even  so  much  as  touching  it. 

Frequently  in  walking  through  the  groves  I  observed 
bread-fruit  and  cocoa-nut  trees,  with  a  wreath  of  leaves 
twined  in  a  peculiar  fashion  about  their  trunks.  This 
was  the  mark  of  the  taboo.  The  trees  themselves,  their 
fruit,  and  even  the  shadows  they  cast  upon  the  ground, 
were  consecrated  by  its  presence.  In  the  same  way  a 
pipe,  which  the  king  had  bestowed  upon  me,  was  ren 
dered  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives,  none  of  whom 
could  I  ever  prevail  upon  to  smoke  from  it.  The  bowl 
was  encircled  by  a  woven  band  of  grass,  somewhat 
resembling  those  Turks'  heads  occasionally  worked  in 
the  handles  of  our  whip-stalks. 

A  similar  badge  was  once  braided  about  my  wrist  by 
the  royal  hand  of  Mehevi  himself,  who,  as  soon  as  he 
had  concluded  the  operation,  pronounced  me  "Taboo." 
This  occurred  shortly  after  Toby's  disappearance ;  and 
were  it  not  that  from  the  first  moment  I  had  entered  the 
valley  the  natives  had  treated  me  with  uniform  kind 
ness,  I  should  have  supposed  that  their  conduct  after 
wards  was  to  be  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  I  had  received 
this  sacred  investiture. 

The  capricious  operations  of  the  taboo  is  not  its  least 
remarkable  feature:  to  enumerate  them  all  would  be 
impossible.  Black  hogs  —  infants  to  a  certain  age  — 
women  in  an  interesting  situation  —  young  men  while 
the  operation  of  tattooing  their  faces  is  going  on  —  and 
certain  parts  of  the  valley  during  the  continuance  of  a 
shower  —  are  alike  fenced  about  by  the  operation  of  the 
taboo. 


326  TTPEE 

I  witnessed  a  striking  instance  of  its  effects  in  the 
bay  of  Tior,  my  visit  to  which  place  has  been  alluded 
to  in  a  former  part  of  this  narrative.  On  that  occasion 
our  worthy  captain  formed  one  of  the  party.  He  was 
a  most  insatiable  sportsman.  Outward  bound,  and  off 
the  pitch  of  Cape  Horn,  he  used  to  sit  on  the  taffrail, 
and  keep  the  steward  loading  three  or  four  old  fowling- 
pieces,  with  which  he  would  bring  down  albatrosses, 
Cape  pigeons,  jays,  petrels,  and  divers  other  marine 
fowl,  who  followed  chattering  in  our  wake.  The 
sailors  were  struck  aghast  at  his  impiety,  and  one  and 
all  attributed  our  forty  days'  beating  about  that  horrid 
headland  to  his  sacrilegious  slaughter  of  these  inoffen 
sive  birds. 

At  Tior  he  evinced  the  same  disregard  for  the  reli 
gious  prejudices  of  the  islanders,  as  he  had  previously 
shown  for  the  superstitions  of  the  sailors.  Having 
heard  that  there  were  a  considerable  number  of  fowls 
in  the  valley  —  the  progeny  of  some  cocks  and  hens 
accidentally  left  there  by  an  English  vessel,  and  which, 
being  strictly  tabooed,  flew  about  almost  in  a  wild  state 
—  he  determined  to  break  through  all  restraints,  and  be 
the  death  of  them.  Accordingly,  he  provided  himself 
with  a  most  formidable  looking  gun,  and  announced  his 
landing  on  the  beach  by  shooting  down  a  noble  cock 
that  was  crowing  what  proved  to  be  his  own  funeral 
dirge,  on  the  limb  of  an  adjoining  tree.  "Taboo,** 
shrieked  the  affrighted  savages.  "Oh,  hang  your 
taboo,"  says  the  nautical  sportsman;  "talk  taboo  to  the 
marines;"  and  bang  went  the  piece  again,  and  down 
came  another  victim.  At  this  the  natives  ran  scamper 
ing  through  the  groves,  horror-struck  at  the  enormity 
of  the  act. 


THE  TABOO  327 

All  that  afternoon  the  rocky  sides  of  the  valley  rang 
with  successive  reports,  and  the  superb  plumage  of  many 
a  beautiful  fowl  was  ruffled  by  the  fatal  bullet.  Had  it 
not  been  that  the  French  admiral,  with  a  large  party, 
was  then  in  the  glen,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  natives, 
although  their  tribe  was  small  and  dispirited,  would 
have  inflicted  summary  vengeance  upon  the  man  who 
thus  outraged  their  most  sacred  institutions  ;  as  it  was, 
they  contrived  to  annoy  him  not  a  little. 

Thirsting  with  his  exertions,  the  skipper  directed  his 
steps  to  a  stream ;  but  the  savages,  who  had  followed  at 
a  little  distance,  perceiving  his  object,  rushed  towards 
him  and  forced  him  away  from  its  bank  —  his  lips  would 
have  polluted  it.  Wearied  at  last,  he  sought  to  enter  a 
house,  that  he  might  rest  for  a  while  on  the  mats ;  its 
inmates  gathered  tumultuously  about  the  door  and  de 
nied  him  admittance.  He  coaxed  and  blustered  by  turns, 
but  in  vain ;  the  natives  were  neither  to  be  intimidated 
nor  appeased,  and  as  a  final  resort  he  was  obliged  to  call 
together  his  boat's  crew,  and  pull  away  from  what  he 
termed  the  most  infernal  place  he  ever  stepped  upon. 

Lucky  was  it  for  him  and  for  us  that  we  were  not 
honoured  on  our  departure  by  a  salute  of  stones  from  the 
hands  of  the  exasperated  Tiors.  In  this  way,  on  the 
neighbouring  island  of  Ropo,  were  killed,  but  a  few 
weeks  previously,  and  for  a  nearly  similar  offence,  the 
master  and  three  of  the  crew  of  the  K . 

I  cannot  determine  with  anything  approaching  to  cer 
tainty,  what  power  it  is  that  imposes  the  taboo.  When 
I  consider  the  slight  disparity  of  condition  among  the 
islanders  —  the  very  limited  and  inconsiderable  preroga 
tives  of  the  king  and  chiefs  —  and  the  loose  and  indefi 
nite  functions  of  the  priesthood,  most  of  whom  were 


328  TYPEE 

hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  their  country* 
men,  I  am  wholly  at  a  loss  where  to  look  for  the  author 
ity  which  regulates  this  potent  institution.  It  is  im 
posed  upon  something  to-day,  and  withdrawn  to-morrow ; 
while  its  operations  in  other  cases  are  perpetual.  Some 
times  its  restrictions  only  affect  a  single  individual — 
sometimes  a  particular  family  —  sometimes  a  whole  tribe ; 
and  in  a  few  instances  they  extend  not  merely  over  the 
various  clans  on  a  single  island,  but  over  all  the  inhab 
itants  of  an  entire  group.  In  illustration  of  this  latter 
peculiarity,  I  may  cite  the  law  which  forbids  a  female  to 
enter  a  canoe  —  a  prohibition  which  prevails  upon  all  the 
northern  Marquesas  Islands. 

The  word  itself  (taboo)  is  used  in  more  than  one  sig 
nification.  It  is  sometimes  used  by  a  parent  to  his  child, 
when  in  the  exercise  of  parental  authority  he  forbids  it 
to  perform  a  particular  action.  Anything  opposed  to 
the  ordinary  customs  of  the  islanders,  although  not  ex 
pressly  prohibited,  is  said  to  be  "  taboo." 

The  Typee  language  is  one  very  difficult  to  be  ac 
quired  ;  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  other  Polyne 
sian  dialects,  all  of  which  show  a  common  origin.  The 
duplication  of  words,  as  "  lumee  lumee,"  "  poee  poee," 
"  muee  muee,"  is  one  of  their  peculiar  features.  But 
another,  and  a  more  annoying  one,  is  the  different  senses 
in  which  one  and  the  same  word  is  employed ;  its  various 
meanings  all  have  a  certain  connection,  which  only 
makes  the  matter  more  puzzling.  So  one  brisk,  lively 
little  word  is  obliged,  like  a  servant  in  a  poor  family,  to 
perform  all  sorts  of  duties ;  for  instance,  one  particular 
combination  of  syllables  expresses  the  ideas  of  sleep,  rest, 
reclining,  sitting,  leaning,  and  all  other  things  anywise 
analogous  thereto,  the  particular  meaning  being  shown 


A  HAWAIIAN    VERB  329 

chiefly  by  a  variety  of  gestures  and  the  eloquent  expres 
sion  of  the  countenance. 

The  intricacy  of  these  dialects  is  another  peculiarity. 
In  the  Missionary  College  at  Lahainaluna,  on  Maui,  one 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  I  saw  a  tabular  exhibition  of  a 
Hawaiian  verb,  conjugated  through  all  its  moods  and 
tenses.  It  covered  the  side  of  a  considerable  apartment, 
and  I  doubt  whether  Sir  William  Jones  himself  would 
not  have  despaired  of  mastering  it. 


830  TYPEE 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Strange  Custom  of  the  Islanders  —  Their  Chanting,  and  the  Pecul 
iarity  of  their  Voice  —  Rapture  of  the  King  at  first  hearing  a  Song  — 
A  New  Dignity  conferred  on  the  Author  —  Musical  Instruments  in 
the  Yalley  —  Admiration  of  the  Savages  at  beholding  a  Pugilistic 
Performance  —  Swimming  Infant  —  Beautiful  Tresses  of  the  Girls  — 
Ointment  for  the  Hair. 

SADLY  discursive  as  I  have  already  been,  I  must  still 
further  entreat  the  reader's  patience,  as  I  am  about  to 
string  together,  without  any  attempt  at  order,  a  few 
odds  and  ends  of  things  not  hitherto  mentioned,  but 
which  are  either  curious  in  themselves  or  peculiar  to 
the  Typees. 

There  was  one  singular  custom,  observed  in  old  Mar- 
heyo's  domestic  establishment,  which  often  excited  my 
surprise.  Every  night,  before  retiring,  the  inmates  of 
the  house  gathered  together  on  the  mats,  and  squatting 
upon  their  haunches,  after  the  universal  practice  of 
these  islanders,  would  commence  a  low,  dismal,  and 
monotonous  chant,  accompanying  the  voice  with  the 
instrumental  melody  produced  by  two  small  half-rotten 
sticks  tapped  slowly  together,  a  pair  of  which  were 
held  in  the  hands  of  each  person  present.  Thus  would 
they  employ  themselves  for  an  hour  or  two,  sometimes 
longer.  Lying  in  the  gloom  which  wrapped  the  further 
end  of  the  house,  I  could  not  avoid  looking  at  them, 
although  the  spectacle  suggested  nothing  but  unpleas 
ant  reflections.  The  flickering  rays  of  the  "armor" 
nut  just  served  to  reveal  their  savage  lineaments, 


CHANTING  331 

without  dispelling  the  darkness  that  hovered  about 
them. 

Sometimes  when,  after  falling  into  a  kind  of  doze, 
and  awaking  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  these  doleful 
chantings,  my  eye  would  fall  upon  the  wild-looking 
group  engaged  in  their  strange  occupation,  with  their 
naked  tattooed  limbs,  and  shaven  heads  disposed  in  a 
circle,  I  was  almost  tempted  to  believe  that  I  gazed 
upon  a  set  of  evil  beings  in  the  act  of  working  a  fright 
ful  incantation. 

What  was  the  meaning  or  purpose  of  this  custom, 
whether  it  was  practised  merely  as  a  diversion,  or 
whether  it  was  a  religious  exercise,  a  sort  of  family 
prayers,  I  never  could  discover. 

The  sounds  produced  by  the  natives  on  these  occa 
sions  were  of  a  most  singular  description;  and  had  I 
not  actually  been  present,  I  never  would  have  believed 
that  such  curious  noises  could  have  been  produced  by 
human  beings. 

To  savages  generally  is  imputed  a  guttural  articula 
tion.  This,  however,  is  not  always  the  case,  especially 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Polynesian  Archipelago. 
The  labial  melody  with  which  the  Typee  girls  carry  on 
an  ordinary  conversation,  giving  a  musical  prolongation 
to  the  final  syllable  of  every  sentence,  and  chirping  out 
some  of  the  words  with  a  liquid,  bird-like  accent,  was 
singularly  pleasing. 

The  men,  however,  are  not  quite  so  harmonious  in 
their  utterance,  and  when  excited  upon  any  subject, 
would  work  themselves  up  into  a  sort  of  wordy  par 
oxysm,  during  which  all  descriptions  of  rough-sided 
sounds  were  projected  from  their  mouths,  with  a  force 
and  rapidity  which  were  absolutely  astonishing. 


332  TYPES 

Although  these  savages  are  remarkably  fond  of  chant 
ing,  still  they  appear  to  have  no  idea  whatever  of  sing 
ing,  at  least  as  that  art  is  practised  among  other 
nations. 

I  never  shall  forget  the  first  time  I  happened  to  roar 
out  a  stave  in  the  presence  of  the  noble  Mehevi.  It 
was  a  stanza  from  the  "Bavarian  broom-seller."  His 
Typean  majesty,  with  all  his  court,  gazed  upon  me  in 
amazement,  as  if  I  had  displayed  some  preternatural 
faculty  which  Heaven  had  denied  to  them.  The  king 
was  delighted  with  the  verse;  but  the  chorus  fairly 
transported  him.  At  his  solicitation  I  sang  it  again  and 
again,  and  nothing  could  be  more  ludicrous  than  his 
vain  attempts  to  catch  the  air  and  the  words.  The  royal 
savage  seemed  to  think  that  by  screwing  all  the  features 
of  his  face  into  the  end  of  his  nose  he  might  possibly 
succeed  in  the  undertaking,  but  it  failed  to  answer  the 
purpose ;  and  in  the  end  he  gave  it  up,  and  consoled 
himself  by  listening  to  my  repetition  of  the  sounds 
fifty  times  over. 

Previous  to  Mehevi's  making  the  discovery,  I  had 
never  been  aware  that  there  was  anything  of  the  night 
ingale  about  me  ;  but  I  was  now  promoted  to  the  place 
of  court-minstrel,  in  which  capacity  I  was  afterwards 
perpetually  called  upon  to  officiate. 


Besides  the  sticks  and  the  drums,  there  are  no  other 
musical  instruments  among  the  Typees,  except  one 
which  might  appropriately  be  denominated  a  nasal 
flute.  It  is  somewhat  longer  than  an  ordinary  fife ;  is 
made  of  a  beautiful  scarlet-coloured  reed ;  and  has  four 
or  five  stops,  with  a  large  hole  near  one  end,  which  latter 


PUGILISTIC  ENCOUNTER  333 

is  held  just  beneath  the  left  nostril.  The  other  nostril 
being  closed  by  a  peculiar  movement  of  the  muscles 
about  the  nose,  the  breath  is  forced  into  the  tube,  and 
produces  a  soft  dulcet  sound,  which  is  varied  by  the 
fingers  running  at  random  over  the  stops.  This  is  a 
favourite  recreation  with  the  females,  and  one  in  which 
Fay  a  way  greatly  excelled.  Awkward  as  such  an  instru 
ment  may  appear,  it  was,  in  Fayaway's  delicate  little 
hands,  one  of  the  most  graceful  I  have  ever  seen.  A 
young  lady,  in  the  act  of  tormenting  a  guitar  strung 
about  her  neck  by  a  couple  of  yards  of  blue  ribbon,  is 
not  half  so  engaging. 


Singing  was  not  the  only  means  I  possessed  of  divert 
ing  the  royal  Mehevi  and  his  easy-going  subjects.  Noth 
ing  afforded  them  more  pleasure  than  to  see  me  go 
through  the  attitude  of  pugilistic  encounter.  As  not 
one  of  the  natives  had  soul  enough  in  him  to  stand  up 
like  a  man,  and  allow  me  to  hammer  away  at  him,  for 
my  own  personal  gratification  and  that  of  the  king,  I 
was  necessitated  to  fight  with  an  imaginary  enemy, 
whom  I  invariably  made  to  knock  under  to  my  superior 
prowess.  Sometimes  when  this  sorely  battered  shadow 
retreated  precipitately  towards  a  group  of  the  savages, 
and,  following  him  up,  I  rushed  among  them,  dealing 
my  blows  right  and  left,  they  would  disperse  in  all  direc 
tions,  much  to  the  enjoyment  of  Mehevi,  the  chiefs,  and 
themselves. 

The  noble  art  of  self-defence  appeared  to  be  regarded 
by  them  as  the  peculiar  gift  of  the  white  man ;  and  I 
make  little  doubt  but  that  they  supposed  armies  of 
Europeans  were  drawn  up  provided  with  nothing  else 


334  TYPEE 

but  bony  fists  and  stout  hearts,  with  which  they  set  to 
in  column,  and  pummelled  one  another  at  the  word  of 
command. 

One  day,  in  company  with  Kory-Kory,  I  had  repaired 
to  the  stream  for  the  purpose  of  bathing,  when  I  observed 
a  woman  sitting  upon  a  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  current, 
and  watching  with  the  liveliest  interest  the  gambols  of 
something,  which  at  first  I  took  to  be  an  uncommonly 
large  species  of  frog  that  was  sporting  in  the  water  near 
her.  Attracted  by  the  novelty  of  the  sight,  I  waded 
towards  the  spot  where  she  sat,  and  could  hardly  credit 
the  evidence  of  my  senses  when  I  beheld  a  little  infant, 
the  period  of  whose  birth  could  not  have  extended  back 
many  days,  paddling  about  as  if  it  had  just  risen  to  the 
surface,  after  being  hatched  into  existence  at  the  bot 
tom.  Occasionally  the  delighted  parent  reached  out 
her  hands  towards  it,  when  the  little  thing,  uttering  a 
faint  cry,  and  striking  out  its  tiny  limbs,  would  sidle 
for  the  rock,  and  the  next  moment  be  clasped  to  its 
mother's  bosom.  This  was  repeated  again  and  again, 
the  baby  remaining  in  the  stream  about  a  minute  at  a 
time.  Once  or  twice  it  made  wry  faces  at  swallowing 
a  mouthful  of  water,  and  choked  and  spluttered  as  if  on 
the  point  of  strangling.  At  such  times,  however,  the 
mother  snatched  it  up,  and  by  a  process  scarcely  to  be 
mentioned  obliged  it  to  eject  the  fluid.  For  several 
weeks  afterwards  I  observed  this  woman  bringing  her 
child  down  to  the  stream  regularly  every  day,  in  the 
cool  of  the  morning  and  evening,  and  treating  it  to  a 
bath.  No  wonder  that  the  South  Sea  Islanders  are  so 
amphibious  a  race,  when  they  are  thus  launched  into 
the  water  as  soon  as  they  see  the  light.  I  am  convinced 


COCOA-NUT  OIL  335 

that  it  is  as  natural  for  a  human  being  to  swim  as  it  is 
for  a  duck.  And  yet  in  civilized  communities  how 
many  able-bodied  individuals  die,  like  so  many  drown 
ing  kittens,  from  the  occurrence  of  the  most  trivial 
accidents ! 

The  long,  luxuriant,  and  glossy  tresses  of  the  Typee 
damsels  often  attracted  my  admiration.  A  fine  head  of 
hair  is  the  pride  and  joy  of  every  woman's  heart! 
Whether,  against  the  express  will  of  Providence,  it 
is  twisted  up  on  the  crown  of  the  head  and  there  coiled 
away  like  a  rope  on  a  ship's  deck  ;  whether  it  be  stuck 
behind  the  ears  and  hangs  down  like  the  swag  of  a 
small  window-curtain;  or  whether  it  be  permitted  to 
flow  over  the  shoulders  in  natural  ringlets,  it  is  always 
the  pride  of  the  owner,  and  the  glory  of  the  toilette. 

The  Typee  girls  devote  much  of  their  time  to  the 
dressing  of  their  fair  and  redundant  locks.  After  bath 
ing,  as  they  sometimes  do  five  or  six  times  every  day, 
the  hair  is  carefully  dried,  and  if  they  have  been  in  the 
sea,  invariably  washed  in  fresh  water,  and  anointed 
with  a  highly  scented  oil  extracted  from  the  meat  of  the 
cocoa-nut.  This  oil  is  obtained  in  great  abundance  by 
the  following  very  simple  process  : 

A  large  vessel  of  wood,  with  holes  perforated  in  the 
bottom,  is  filled  with  the  pounded  meat,  and  exposed  to 
the  rays  of  the  sun.  As  the  oleaginous  matter  exudes, 
it  falls  in  drops  through  the  apertures  into  a  wide- 
mouthed  calabash  placed  underneath.  After  a  sufficient 
quantity  has  been  thus  collected,  the  oil  undergoes  a 
purifying  process,  and  is  then  poured  into  the  small 
spherical  shells  of  the  nuts  of  the  moo-tree,  which  are 
hollowed  out  to  receive  it.  These  nuts  are  then  her- 


336  TTPEE 

metically  sealed  with  a  resinous  gum,  and  the  vegetable 
fragrance  of  their  green  rind  soon  imparts  to  the  oil  a 
delightful  odour.  After  the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks  the 
exterior  shell  of  the  nuts  becomes  quite  dry  and  hard, 
and  assumes  a  beautiful  carnation  tint;  and  when 
opened  they  are  found  to  be  about  two-thirds  full  of  an 
ointment  of  a  light  yellow  colour,  and  diffusing  the 
sweetest  perfume.  This  elegant  little  odorous  globe 
would  not  be  out  of  place  even  upon  the  toilette  of  a 
queen.  Its  merits  as  a  preparation  for  the  hair  are 
undeniable  —  it  imparts  to  it  a  superb  gloss  and  a  silky 
fineness. 


ABSOLUTE  WRETCHEDNESS  837 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Apprehensions  of  Evil  — Frightful  Discovery  —  Some  Remarks  on  Can 
nibalism —  Second  Battle  with  the  Happars  —  Savage  Spectacle  — 
Mysterious  Feast  —  Subsequent  Disclosures. 

FROM  the  time  of  my  casual  encounter  with  Karky 
the  artist,  my  life  was  one  of  absolute  wretchedness. 
Not  a  day  passed  but  I  was  persecuted  by  the  solici 
tations  of  some  of  the  natives  to  subject  myself  to  the 
odious  operation  of  tattooing.  Their  importunities  drove 
me  half  wild,  for  I  felt  how  easily  they  might  work 
their  will  upon  me  regarding  this  or  anything  else 
which  they  took  into  their  heads.  Still,  however,  the 
behaviour  of  the  islanders  towards  me  was  as  kind  as 
ever.  Fayaway  was  quite  as  engaging ;  Kory-Kory  as 
devoted :  and  Mehevi  the  king  just  as  gracious  and  con 
descending  as  before.  But  I  had  now  been  three  months 
in  their  valley,  as  nearly  as  I  could  estimate;  I  had 
grown  familiar  with  the  narrow  limits  to  which  my 
wanderings  had  been  confined ;  and  I  began  bitterly  to 
feel  the  state  of  captivity  in  which  I  was  held.  There 
was  no  one  with  whom  I  could  freely  converse  ;  no  one 
to  whom  I  could  communicate  my  thoughts,  no  one 
who  could  sympathize  with  my  sufferings.  A  thousand 
times  I  thought  how  much  more  endurable  would  have 
been  my  lot  had  Toby  still  been  with  me.  But  I  was 
left  alone,  and  the  thought  was  terrible  to  me.  Still, 
despite  my  griefs,  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  appear  com 
posed  and  cheerful,  well  knowing  that  by  manifesting 


338  TTPEE 

any  uneasiness,  or  any  desire  to  escape,  I  should  only 
frustrate  my  object. 

It  was  during  the  period  I  was  in  this  unhappy  frame 
of  mind  that  the  painful  malady  under  which  I  had 
been  labouring  —  after  having  almost  completely  sub 
sided — began  again  to  show  itself,  and  with  symptoms 
as  violent  as  ever.  This  added  calamity  nearly  un 
manned  me ;  the  recurrence  of  the  complaint  proved 
that  without  powerful  remedial  applications  all  hope  of 
cure  was  futile ;  and  when  I  reflected  that  just  beyond 
the  elevations  which  bound  me  in,  was  the  medical 
relief  I  needed,  and  that,  although  so  near,  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  avail  myself  of  it,  the  thought  was 
misery. 

In  this  wretched  situation,  every  circumstance  which 
evinced  the  savage  nature  of  the  beings  at  whose  mercy 
I  was,  augmented  the  fearful  apprehensions  that  con 
sumed  me.  An  occurrence  which  happened  about  this 
time  affected  me  most  powerfully. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  from  the  ridge-pole  of 
Marheyo's  house  were  suspended  a  number  of  packages 
enveloped  in  tappa.  Many  of  these  I  had  often  seen  in 
the  hands  of  the  natives,  and  their  contents  had  been 
examined  in  my  presence.  But  there  were  three  pack 
ages  hanging  very  nearly  over  the  place  where  I  lay, 
which  from  their  remarkable  appearance  had  often  ex 
cited  my  curiosity.  Several  times  I  had  asked  Kory- 
Kory  to  show  me  their  contents ;  but  my  servitor,  who 
in  almost  every  other  particular  had  acceded  to  my 
wishes,  always  refused  to  gratify  me  in  this. 

One  day,  returning  unexpectedly  from  the  "  Ti,"  my 
arrival  seemed  to  throw  the  inmates  of  the  house  into 
the  greatest  confusion.  They  were  seated  together  on 


FRIGHTFUL  DISCOVERT  389 

the  mats,  and  by  the  lines  which  extended  from  the 
roof  to  the  floor  I  immediately  perceived  that  the  mys 
terious  packages  were  for  some  purpose  or  other  under 
inspection.  The  evident  alarm  the  savages  betrayed 
filled  me  with  forebodings  of  evil,  and  with  an  uncon 
trollable  desire  to  penetrate  the  secret  so  jealously 
guarded.  Despite  the  efforts  of  Marheyo  and  Kory- 
Kory  to  restrain  me,  I  forced  my  way  into  the  midst  of 
the  circle,  and  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  three  human 
heads,  which  others  of  the  party  were  hurriedly  envel 
oping  in  the  coverings  from  which  they  had  been  taken. 

One  of  the  three  I  distinctly  saw.  It  was  in  a  state 
of  perfect  preservation,  and,  from  the  slight  glimpse 
I  had  of  it,  seemed  to  have  been  subjected  to  some 
smoking  operation  which  had  reduced  it  to  the  dry, 
hard,  and  mummy-like  appearance  it  presented.  The 
two  long  scalp-locks  were  twisted  up  into  balls  upon  the 
crown  of  the  head  in  the  same  way  that  the  individual 
had  worn  them  during  life.  The  sunken  cheeks  were 
rendered  yet  more  ghastly  by  the  rows  of  glistening 
teeth  which  protruded  from  between  the  lips,  while  the 
sockets  of  the  eyes  —  filled  with  oval  bits  of  mother-of- 
pearl  shell,  with  a  black  spot  in  the  centre  —  heightened 
the  hideousness  of  its  aspect. 

Two  of  the  three  were  heads  of  the  islanders;  but 
the  third,  to  my  horror,  was  that  of  a  white  man.  Al 
though  it  had  been  quickly  removed  from  my  sight, 
still  the  glimpse  I  had  of  it  was  enough  to  convince  me 
that  I  could  not  be  mistaken. 

Gracious  God !  what  dreadful  thoughts  entered  my 
mind !  In  solving  this  mystery  perhaps  I  had  solved 
another,  and  the  fate  of  my  lost  companion  might  be 
revealed  in  the  shocking  spectacle  I  had  just  witnessed 


340  TYPES 

I  longed  to  have  torn  off  the  folds  of  cloth,  and  satis 
fied  the  awful  doubts  under  which  I  laboured.  But 
before  I  had  recovered  from  the  consternation  into 
which  I  had  been  thrown,  the  fatal  packages  were 
hoisted  aloft  and  once  more  swung  over  my  head.  The 
natives  now  gathered  round  me  tumultuously,  and 
laboured  to  convince  me  that  what  I  had  just  seen  were 
the  heads  of  three  Happar  warriors,  who  had  been 
slain  in  battle.  This  glaring  falsehood  added  to  my 
alarm,  and  it  was  not  until  I  reflected  that  I  had  ob 
served  the  packages  swinging  from  their  elevation 
before  Toby's  disappearance,  that  I  could  at  all  recover 
my  composure. 

But  although  this  horrible  apprehension  had  been 
dispelled,  I  had  discovered  enough  to  fill  me,  in  my 
present  state  of  mind,  with  the  most  bitter  reflections.  It 
was  plain  that  I  had  seen  the  last  relic  of  some  unfor 
tunate  wretch,  who  must  have  been  massacred  on  the 
beach  by  the  savages,  in  one  of  those  perilous  trading 
adventures  which  I  have  before  described. 

It  was  not,  however,  alone  the  murder  of  the  stranger 
that  overcame  me  with  gloom.  I  shuddered  at  the  idea 
of  the  subsequent  fate  his  inanimate  body  might  have 
met  with.  Was  the  same  doom  reserved  for  me  ?  Was 
I  destined  to  perish  like  him  —  like  him,  perhaps,  to  be 
devoured,  and  my  head  to  be  preserved  as  a  fearful 
memento  of  the  event?  My  imagination  ran  riot  in 
these  horrid  speculations,  and  I  felt  certain  that  the 
worst  possible  evils  would  befal  me.  But  whatever 
were  my  misgivings,  I  studiously  concealed  them  from 
the  islanders,  as  well  as  the  full  extent  of  the  discovery 
I  had  made. 

Although  the  assurances  which  the  Typees  had  often 


CANNIBALISM  341 

given  me,  that  they  never  eat  human  flesh,  had  not  con 
vinced  me  that  such  was  the  case,  yet,  having  been  so 
long  a  time  in  the  valley  without  witnessing  anything 
which  indicated  the  existence  of  the  practice,  I  began 
to  hope  that  it  was  an  event  of  very  rare  occurrence, 
and  that  I  should  be  spared  the  horror  of  witnessing  it 
during  my  stay  among  them;  but,  alas!  these  hopes 
were  soon  destroyed. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  in  all  our  accounts  of  can 
nibal  tribes  we  have  seldom  received  the  testimony  of 
an  eye-witness  to  the  revolting  practice.  The  horrible 
conclusion  has  almost  always  been  derived  either  from 
the  second-hand  evidence  of  Europeans,  or  else  from  the 
admissions  of  the  savages  themselves,  after  they  have  in 
some  degree  become  civilized.  The  Polynesians  are 
aware  of  the  detestation  in  which  Europeans  hold  this 
custom,  and  therefore  invariably  deny  its  existence,  and, 
with  the  craft  peculiar  to  savages,  endeavour  to  conceal 
every  trace  of  it. 

The  excessive  unwillingness  betrayed  by  the  Sand 
wich  Islanders,  even  at  the  present  day,  to  allude  to  the 
unhappy  fate  of  Cook,  has  been  often  remarked.  And 
so  well  have  they  succeeded  in  covering  that  event 
with  mystery,  that  to  this  very  hour,  despite  all  that 
has  been  said  and  written  on  the  subject,  it  still  remains 
doubtful  whether  they  wreaked  upon  his  murdered  body 
the  vengeance  they  sometimes  inflicted  upon  their 
enemies. 

At  Kealakekau,  the  scene  of  that  tragedy,  a  strip  of 
ship's  copper  nailed  against  an  upright  post  in  the 
ground  used  to  inform  the  traveller  that  beneath  re 
posed  the  "  remains "  of  the  great  circumnavigator. 
But  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  not  only  that  the 


342  TTPEE 

corpse  was  refused  Christian  burial,  but  that  the  heart 
which  was  brought  to  Vancouver  some  time  after  the 
event,  and  which  the  Hawaiians  stoutly  maintained  was 
that  of  Captain  Cook,  was  no  such  thing ;  and  that  the 
whole  affair  was  a  piece  of  imposture  which  was  sought 
to  be  palmed  off  upon  the  credulous  Englishman. 

A  few  years  since  there  was  living  on  the  island  of 
Maui  (one  of  the  Sandwich  group)  an  old  chief,  who, 
actuated  by  a  morbid  desire  for  notoriety,  gave  himself 
out  among  the  foreign  residents  of  the  place  as  the  liv 
ing  tomb  of  Captain  Cook's  big  toe !  —  affirming,  that 
at  the  cannibal  entertainment  which  ensued  after  the 
lamented  Briton's  death,  that  particular  portion  of  his 
body  had  fallen  to  his  share.  His  indignant  country 
men  actually  caused  him  to  be  prosecuted  in  the  native 
courts,  on  a  charge  nearly  equivalent  to  what  we  term 
defamation  of  character;  but  the  old  fellow  persisting 
in  his  assertion,  and  no  invalidating  proof  being  ad 
duced,  the  plaintiffs  were  cast  in  the  suit,  and  the  can 
nibal  reputation  of  the  defendant  fully  established. 
This  result  was  the  making  of  his  fortune ;  ever  after 
wards  he  was  in  the  habit  of  giving  very  profitable 
audiences  to  all  curious  travellers  who  were  desirous  of 
beholding  the  man  who  had  eaten  the  great  navigator's 
great  toe. 

About  a  week  after  my  discovery  of  the  contents  of 
the  mysterious  packages,  I  happened  to  be  at  the  Ti, 
when  another  war-alarm  was  sounded,  and  the  natives 
rushing  to  their  arms,  sallied  out  to  resist  a  second  in 
cursion  of  the  Happar  invaders.  The  same  scene  was 
again  repeated,  only  that  on  this  occasion  I  heard  at 
least  fifteen  reports  of  muskets  from  the  mountains  dur 
ing  the  time  that  the  skirmish  lasted.  An  hour  or  two 


APPROACH  OF  THE  VICTORS  343 

after  its  termination,  loud  paeans  chanted  through  the 
valley  announced  the  approach  of  the  victors.  I  stood 
with  Kory-Kory  leaning  against  the  railing  of  the  pi-pi 
awaiting  their  advance,  when  a  tumultuous  crowd  of 
islanders  emerged  with  wild  clamours  from  the  neigh 
bouring  groves.  In  the  midst  of  them  marched  four 
men,  one  preceding  the  other  at  regular  intervals  of 
eight  or  ten  feet,  with  poles  of  a  corresponding  length, 
extended  from  shoulder  to  shoulder,  to  which  were 
lashed  with  thongs  of  bark  three  long  narrow  bundles, 
carefully  wrapped  in  ample  coverings  of  freshly  plucked 
palm-leaves,  tacked  together  with  slivers  of  bamboo. 
Here  and  there  upon  these  green  winding-sheets  might 
be  seen  the  stains  of  blood,  while  the  warriors  who  car 
ried  the  frightful  burdens  displayed  upon  their  naked 
limbs  similar  sanguinary  marks.  The  shaven  head  of 
the  foremost  had  a  deep  gash  upon  it,  and  the  clotted 
gore  which  had  flowed  from  the  wound  remained  in  dry 
patches  around  it.  This  savage  seemed  to  be  sinking 
under  the  weight  he  bore.  The  bright  tattooing  upon 
his  body  was  covered  with  blood  and  dust ;  his  inflamed 
eyes  rolled  in  their  sockets,  and  his  whole  appearance 
denoted  extraordinary  suffering  and  exertion  ;  yet,  sus 
tained  by  some  powerful  impulse,  he  continued  to  ad 
vance,  while  the  throng  around  him  with  wild  cheers 
sought  to  encourage  him.  The  other  three  men  were 
marked  about  the  arms  and  breasts  with  several  slight 
wounds,  which  they  somewhat  ostentatiously  dis 
played. 

These  four  individuals,  having  been  the  most  active  in 
the  late  encounter,  claimed  the  honour  of  bearing  the 
bodies  of  their  slain  enemies  to  the  Ti.  Such  was  the 
conclusion  I  drew  from  my  own  observations,  and,  as  far 


344  TYPES 

as  I  could  understand,  from  the  explanation  which 
Kory-Kory  gave  me. 

The  royal  Mehevi  walked  by  the  side  of  these  heroes. 
He  carried  in  one  hand  a  musket,  from  the  barrel  of 
which  was  suspended  a  small  canvas  pouch  of  powder, 
and  in  the  other  he  grasped  a  short  javelin,  which  he 
held  before  him  and  regarded  with  fierce  exultation. 
This  javelin  he  had  wrested  from  a  celebrated  cham 
pion  of  the  Happars,  who  had  ignominiously  fled,  and 
was  pursued  by  his  foe  beyond  the  summit  of  the 
mountain. 

When  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Ti,  the  warrior 
with  the  wounded  head,  who  proved  to  be  Narmonee, 
tottered  forward  two  or  three  steps,  and  fell  helplessly 
to  the  ground ;  but  not  before  another  had  caught  the 
end  of  the  pole  from  his  shoulder,  and  placed  it  upon 
his  own. 

The  excited  throng  of  islanders,  who  surrounded  the 
person  of  the  king  and  the  dead  bodies  of  the  enemy, 
approached  the  spot  where  I  stood,  brandishing  their 
rude  implements  of  warfare,  many  of  which  were 
bruised  and  broken,  and  uttering  continual  shouts  of 
triumph.  When  the  crowd  drew  up  opposite  the  Ti,  I 
set  myself  to  watch  their  proceedings  most  attentively; 
but  scarcely  had  they  halted  when  my  servitor,  who  had 
left  my  side  for  an  instant,  touched  my  arm,  and  pro 
posed  our  returning  to  Marheyo's  house.  To  this  I 
objected  ;  but,  to  my  surprise,  Kory-Kory  reiterated  hiss 
request,  and  with  an  unusual  vehemence  of  manner. 
Still,  however,  I  refused  to  comply,  and  was  retreating 
before  him,  as  in  his  importunity  he  pressed  upon  me, 
when  I  felt  a  heavy  hand  laid  upon  my  shoulder,  and 
turning  round,  encountered  the  bulky  form  of  Mow- 


SUSPICIONS  345 

Mow,  a  one-eyed  chief,  who  had  just  detached  himself 
from  the  crowd  below,  and  had  mounted  the  rear  of  the 
pi-pi  upon  which  we  stood.  His  cheek  had  been  pierced 
by  the  point  of  a  spear,  and  the  wound  imparted  a  still 
more  frightful  expression  to  his  hideously  tattooed  face, 
already  deformed  by  the  loss  of  an  eye.  The  warrior, 
without  uttering  a  syllable,  pointed  fiercely  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Marheyo's  house,  while  Kory-Kory,  at  the  same 
time  presenting  his  back,  desired  me  to  mount. 

I  declined  this  offer,  but  intimated  my  willingness  to 
withdraw,  and  moved  slowly  along  the  piazza,  wonder 
ing  what  could  be  the  cause  of  this  unusual  treatment. 
A  few  minutes'  consideration  convinced  me  that  the 
savages  were  about  to  celebrate  some  hideous  rite  in 
connection  with  their  peculiar  customs,  and  at  which 
they  were  determined  I  should  not  be  present.  I  de 
scended  from  the  pi-pi,  and  attended  by  Kory-Kory,  who 
on  this  occasion  did  not  show  his  usual  commiseration 
for  my  lameness,  but  seemed  only  anxious  to  hurry  me 
on,  walked  away  from  the  place.  As  I  passed  through 
the  noisy  throng,  which  by  this  time  completely  envi 
roned  the  Ti,  I  looked  with  fearful  curiosity  at  the 
three  packages,  which  now  were  deposited  upon  the 
ground ;  but  although  I  had  no  doubt  as  to  their  con 
tents,  still  their  thick  coverings  prevented  my  actually 
detecting  the  form  of  a  human  body. 

The  next  morning,  shortly  after  sunrise,  the  same 
thundering  sounds  which  had  awakened  me  from  sleep 
on  the  second  day  of  the  Feast  of  Calabashes,  assured 
me  that  the  savages  were  on  the  eve  of  celebrating 
another,  and,  as  I  fully  believed,  a  horrible  solemnity. 

All  the  inmates  of  the  house,  with  the  exception  of 
Marheyo,  his  son,  and  Tinor,  after  assuming  their 


846  TYPEE 

gala  dresses,  departed  in  the  direction  of  the  Taboo 
Groves. 

Although  I  did  not  anticipate  a  compliance  with  my 
request,  still,  with  a  view  of  testing  the  truth  of  my 
suspicions,  I  proposed  to  Kory-Kory  that,  according  to 
our  usual  custom  in  the  morning,  we  should  take  a  stroll 
to  the  Ti :  he  positively  refused ;  and  when  I  renewed 
the  request,  he  evinced  his  determination  to  prevent  my 
going  there ;  and,  to  divert  my  mind  from  the  subject, 
he  offered  to  accompany  me  to  the  stream.  We  accord 
ingly  went,  and  bathed.  On  our  coming  back  to  the 
house,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  all  its  inmates  had 
returned,  and  were  lounging  upon  the  mats  as  usual, 
although  the  drums  still  sounded  from  the  groves. 

The  rest  of  the  day  I  spent  with  Kory-Kory  and 
Fayaway,  wandering  about  a  part  of  the  valley  situated 
in  an  opposite  direction  from  the  Ti ;  and  whenever  I 
so  much  as  looked  towards  that  building,  although  it 
was  hidden  from  view  by  intervening  trees,  and  at  the 
distance  of  more  than  a  mile,  my  attendant  would 
exclaim,  "  Taboo,  taboo  !  " 

At  the  various  houses  where  we  stopped,  I  found 
many  of  the  inhabitants  reclining  at  their  ease,  or  pur 
suing  some  light  occupation,  as  if  nothing  unusual  were 
going  forward ;  but  amongst  them  all  I  did  not  perceive 
a  single  chief  or  warrior.  When  I  asked  several  of  the 
people  why  they  were  not  at  the  "  Hoolah  Hoolah  " 
(the  feast),  they  uniformly  answered  the  question  in 
a  manner  which  implied  that  it  was  not  intended  for 
them,  but  for  Mehevi,  Narmonee,  Mow-Mow,  Kolor, 
Womonoo,  Kalow  —  running  over,  in  their  desire  to 
make  me  comprehend  their  meaning,  the  names  of  all 
the  principal  chiefs. 


VISIT  THE  TI  347 

Everything,  in  short,  strengthened  my  suspicions 
with  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  festival  they  were 
now  celebrating ;  and  which  amounted  almost  to  a 
certainty.  While  in  Nukuheva  I  had  frequently  been 
informed  that  the  whole  tribe  were  never  present  at 
these  cannibal  banquets ;  but  the  chiefs  and  priests 
only,  and  everything  I  now  observed  agreed  with  the 
account. 

The  sound  of  the  drums  continued,  without  inter 
mission,  the  whole  day,  and  falling  continually  upon 
my  ear,  caused  me  a  sensation  of  horror  which  I  am 
unable  to  describe.  On  the  following  day  hearing  none 
of  those  noisy  indications  of  revelry,  I  concluded  that 
the  inhuman  feast  was  terminated ;  and  feeling  a  kind 
of  morbid  curiosity  to  discover  whether  the  Ti  might 
furnish  any  evidence  of  what  had  taken  place  there,  I 
proposed  to  Kory-Kory  to  walk  there.  To  this  proposi 
tion  he  replied  by  pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  newly 
risen  sun,  and  then  up  to  the  zenith,  intimating  that 
our  visit  must  be  deferred  until  noon.  Shortly  after 
that  hour  we  accordingly  proceeded  to  the  Taboo  Groves, 
and  as  soon  as  we  entered  their  precincts,  I  looked  fear 
fully  round  in  quest  of  some  memorial  of  the  scenes 
which  had  so  lately  been  acted  there  ;  but  everything 
appeared  as  usual.  On  reaching  the  Ti,  we  found 
Mehevi  and  a  few  chiefs  reclining  on  the  mats,  who 
gave  me  as  friendly  a  reception  as  ever.  No  allusions 
of  any  kind  were  made  by  them  to  the  recent  events ; 
and  I  refrained,  for  obvious  reasons,  from  referring  to 
them  myself. 

After  staying  a  short  time  I  took  my  leave.  In  pass- 
ing  along  the  piazza,  previously  to  descending  from  the 
pi-pi,  I  observed  a  curiously  carved  vessel  of  wood,  of 


348  TYPES 

considerable  size,  with  a  cover  placed  over  it,  of  tho 
same  material,  and  which  resembled  in  shape  a  small 
canoe.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  low  railing  of  bamboos, 
the  top  of  which  was  scarcely  a  foot  from  the  ground. 
As  the  vessel  had  been  placed  in  its  present  position 
since  my  last  visit,  I  at  once  concluded  that  it  must 
have  some  connection  with  the  recent  festival ;  and, 
prompted  by  a  curiosity  I  could  not  repress,  in  passing 
it  I  raised  one  end  of  the  cover;  at  the  same  moment 
the  chiefs,  perceiving  my  design,  loudly  ejaculated, 
"  Taboo !  taboo !  "  But  the  slight  glimpse  sufficed ; 
my  eyes  fell  upon  the  disordered  members  of  a  human 
skeleton,  the  bones  still  fresh  with  moisture,  and  with 
particles  of  flesh  clinging  to  them  here  and  there  ! 

Kory-Kory,  who  had  been  a  little  in  advance  of  me, 
attracted  by  the  exclamations  of  the  chiefs,  turned 
round  in  time  to  witness  the  expression  of  horror  on 
my  countenance.  He  now  hurried  towards  me,  point 
ing  at  the  same  time  to  the  canoe,  and  exclaiming 
rapidly,  "  Puarkee  !  puarkee!  "  (Pig,  pig).  I  pretended 
to  yield  to  the  deception,  and  repeated  the  words  after 
him  several  times,  as  though  acquiescing  in  what  he 
said.  The  other  savages,  either  deceived  by  my  con 
duct  or  unwilling  to  manifest  their  displeasure  at  what 
could  not  now  be  remedied,  took  no  further  notice  of 
the  occurrence,  and  I  immediately  left  the  Ti. 

All  that  night  I  lay  awake,  revolving  in  my  mind  the 
fearful  situation  in  which  I  was  placed.  The  last  hor 
rid  revelation  had  now  been  made,  and  the  full  sense 
of  my  condition  rushed  upon  my  mind  with  a  force 
I  had  never  before  experienced. 

Where,  thought  I,  desponding,  is  there  the  slightest 
prospect  of  escape?  The  only  person  who  seemed  to 


ANXIOUS   TO  ESCAPE  849 

possess  the  ability  to  assist  me  was  the  stranger  Marnoo ; 
but  would  he  ever  return  to  the  valley  ?  and  if  he  did, 
should  I  be  permitted  to  hold  any  communication  with 
him  ?  It  seemed  as  if  I  were  cut  off  from  every  source 
of  hope,  and  that  nothing  remained  but  passively  to 
await  whatever  fate  was  in  store  for  me.  A  thousand 
times  I  endeavoured  to  account  for  the  mysterious  con 
duct  of  the  natives.  For  what  conceivable  purpose  did 
they  thus  retain  me  a  captive  ?  What  could  be  their 
object  in  treating  me  with  such  apparent  kindness,  and 
did  it  not  cover  some  treacherous  scheme  ?  Or,  if  they 
had  no  other  design  than  to  hold  me  a  prisoner,  now 
should  I  be  able  to  pass  away  my  days  in  this  narrow 
valley,  deprived  of  all  intercourse  with  civilised  beings, 
and  forever  separated  from  friends  and  home  ? 

One  only  hope  remained  to  me.  The  French  could 
not  long  defer  a  visit  to  the  bay ;  and  if  they  should 
permanently  locate  any  of  their  troops  in  the  valley,  the 
savages  could  not  for  any  length  of  time  conceal  my 
existence  from  them.  But  what  reason  had  I  to  sup 
pose  that  I  should  be  spared  until  such  an  event  oc 
curred  —  an  event  which  might  be  postponed  by  a  hun 
dred  different  contingencies  ? 


360  TTPEE 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

The  Stranger  again  arrives  in  the  Valley  —  Singular  Interview  with 
him  — Attempt  to  Escape  —  Failure  —  Melancholy  Situation  —  Sym 
pathy  of  Marheyo. 

"  MAKNOO,  Marnoo  pemi ! "  Such  were  the  welcome 
sounds  which  fell  upon  my  ear  some  ten  days  after  the 
events  related  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Once  more 
the  approach  of  the  stranger  was  heralded,  and  the  in 
telligence  operated  upon  me  like  magic.  Again  I  should 
be  able  to  converse  with  him  in  my  own  language; 
and  I  resolved  at  all  hazards  to  concert  with  him  some 
scheme,  however  desperate,  to  rescue  me  from  a  con 
dition  that  had  now  become  insupportable. 

As  he  drew  near,  I  remembered  with  many  misgivings 
the  inauspicious  termination  of  our  former  interview; 
and  when  he  entered  the  house,  I  watched  with  intense 
anxiety  the  reception  he  met  with  from  its  inmates. 
To  my  joy,  his  appearance  was  hailed  with  the  liveliest 
pleasure ;  and  accosting  me  kindly,  he  seated  himself 
by  my  side,  and  entered  into  conversation  with  the 
natives  around  him.  It  soon  appeared,  however,  that 
on  this  occasion  he  had  not  any  intelligence  of  impor 
tance  to  communicate.  I  inquired  of  him  from  whence 
he  had  last  come  ?  He  replied  from  Pueearka,  his 
native  valley,  and  that  he  intended  to  return  to  it  the 
same  day. 

At  once  it  struck  me  that,  could  I  but  reach  that 
valley  under  his  protection,  I  might  easily  from  thence 


INTERVIEW  WIH  MARNOO  351 

reach  Nukuheva  by  water ;  and  animated  by  the  pros 
pect  which  this  plan  held  out,  I  disclosed  it  in  a  few 
brief  words  to  the  stranger,  and  asked  him  how  it  could 
be  best  accomplished.  My  heart  sank  within  me  when 
in  his  broken  English  he  answered  me  that  it  could  never 
be  effected.  "  Kanaka  no  let  you  go  no  where,"  he 
said  ;  "  you  taboo.  Why  you  no  like  to  stay  ?  Plenty 
moee-moee  (sleep)  —  plenty  ki-ki  (eat)  —  plenty 
wahenee  (young  girls)  —  Oh,  very  good  place  Typee  ! 
Suppose  you  no  like  this  bay,  why  you  come  ?  You  no 
hear  about  Typee  ?  All  white  men  afraid  Typee,  so  no 
white  men  come." 

These  words  distressed  me  beyond  belief ;  and  when 
I  again  related  to  him  the  circumstances  under  which 
I  had  descended  into  the  valley,  and  sought  to  enlist  his 
sympathies  in  my  behalf  by  appealing  to  the  bodily 
misery  I  endured,  he  listened  to  me  with  impatience, 
and  cut  me  short  by  exclaiming  passionately,  "  Me  no 
hear  you  talk  any  more ;  by  by  Kanaka  get  mad,  kill 
you  and  me  too.  No  you  see  he  no  want  you  to  speak 
to  me  at  all  ?  —  you  see  —  ah  !  by  by  you  no  mind  — 
you  get  well,  he  kill  you,  eat  you,  hang  you  head  up 
there,  like  Happar  Kanaka.  —  Now  you  listen  —  but  no 
talk  any  more.  By  by  I  go  ;  —  you  see  way  I  go.  — 
Ah !  then  some  night  Kanaka  all  moee-moee  (sleep)  — 
you  run  away,  you  come  Pueearka.  I  speak  Pueearka 
Kanaka — he  no  harm  you — ah!  then  I  take  you  my 
canoe  Nukuheva — and  you  no  run  away  ship  no  more." 
With  these  words,  enforced  by  a  vehemence  of  gesture 
I  cannot  describe,  Marnoo  started  from  my  side,  and 
immediately  engaged  in  conversation  with  some  of  the 
chiefs  who  had  entered  the  house. 

It  would  have  been  idle  for  me  to  have  attempted 


352  TTPEE 

resuming  the  interview  so  peremptorily  terminated  by 
Marnoo,  who  was  evidently  little  disposed  to  compro 
mise  his  own  safety  by  any  rash  endeavours  to  ensure 
mine.  But  the  plan  he  had  suggested  struck  me  as 
one  which  might  possibly  be  accomplished,  and  I 
resolved  to  act  upon  it  as  speedily  as  possible. 

Accordingly,  when  he  rose  to  depart,  I  accompanied 
him  with  the  natives  outside  of  the  house,  with  a  view 
of  carefully  noting  the  path  he  would  take  in  leaving 
the  valley.  Just  before  leaping  from  the  pi-pi  he 
clasped  my  hand,  and  looking  significantly  at  me, 
exclaimed,  "  Now  you  see  —  you  do  what  I  tell  you  — 
ah!  then  you  do  good;  — you  no  do  so  — ah  !  then  you 
die."  The  next  moment  he  waved  his  spear  in  adieu 
to  the  islanders,  and  following  the  route  that  conducted 
to  a  defile  in  the  mountains  lying  opposite  the  Happar 
side,  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

A  mode  of  escape  was  now  presented  to  me,  but 
now  was  I  to  avail  myself  of  it?  I  was  continually 
surrounded  by  the  savages ;  I  could  not  stir  from  one 
house  to  another  without  being  attended  by  some  of 
them ;  and  even  during  the  hours  devoted  to  slumber 
the  slightest  movement  which  I  made  seemed  to  attract 
the  notice  of  those  who  shared  the  mats  with  me.  In 
spite  of  these  obstacles,  however,  I  determined  forth 
with  to  make  the  attempt.  To  do  so  with  any  pros 
pect  of  success,  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  have  at 
least  two  hours'  start  before  the  islanders  should  dis 
cover  my  absence ;  for  with  such  facility  was  any  alarm 
spread  through  the  valley,  and  so  familiar,  of  course, 
were  the  inhabitants  with  the  intricacies  of  the  groves, 
that  I  could  not  hope,  lame  and  feeble  as  I  was,  and 
ignorant  of  the  route,  to  secure  my  escape  unless  I  had 


MARHEYO'8  HABITATION  858 

this  advantage.  It  was  also  by  night  alone  that  I  could 
hope  to  accomplish  my  object,  and  then  only  by  adopt 
ing  the  utmost  precaution. 

The  entrance  to  Marheyo's  habitation  was  through  a 
low  narrow  opening  in  its  wicker-work  front.  This 
passage,  for  no  conceivable  reason  that  I  could  devise, 
was  always  closed  after  the  household  had  retired  to 
rest,  by  drawing  a  heavy  slide  across  it,  composed  of  a 
dozen  or  more  bits  of  wood,  ingeniously  fastened  to 
gether  by  seizings  of  sinnate.  When  any  of  the 
inmates  chose  to  go  outside,  the  noise  occasioned  by  the 
removing  of  this  rude  door  awakened  everybody  else ; 
and  on  more  than  one  occasion  I  had  remarked  that  the 
islanders  were  nearly  as  irritable  as  more  civilised 
beings  under  similar  circumstances. 

The  difficulty  thus  placed  in  my  way  I  determined  to 
obviate  in  the  following  manner.  I  would  get  up 
boldly  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  drawing  the 
slide,  issue  from  the  house,  and  pretend  that  my  object 
was  merely  to  procure  a  drink  from  the  calabash,  which 
always  stood  without  the  dwelling  on  the  corner  of  the 
pi-pi.  On  re-entering  I  would  purposely  omit  closing 
the  passage  after  me,  and  trusting  that  the  indolence  of 
the  savages  would  prevent  them  from  repairing  my 
neglect,  would  return  to  my  mat,  and  waiting  patiently 
until  all  were  again  asleep,  I  would  then  steal  forth, 
and  at  once  take  the  route  to  Pueearka. 

The  very  night  which  followed  Marnoo's  departure,  I 
proceeded  to  put  this  project  into  execution.  About 
midnight,  as  I  imagined,  I  rose  and  drew  the  slide. 
The  natives,  just  as  I  had  expected,  started  up,  while 
some  of  them  asked,  "  Arware  poo  awa,  Tommo  ? " 
(where  are  you  going,  Tommo  ?  )  "  Wai  "  (water)  I 


354  TYPES 

laconically  answered,  grasping  the  calabash.  On  hear 
ing  my  reply  they  sank  back  again,  and  in  a  minute  or 
two  I  returned  to  my  mat,  anxiously  awaiting  the  result 
of  the  experiment. 

One  after  another  the  savages  turning  restlessly,  ap 
peared  to  resume  their  slumbers,  and  rejoicing  at  the 
stillness  which  prevailed,  I  was  about  to  rise  again  from 
my  couch,  when  I  heard  a  slight  rustling — a  dark  form 
was  intercepted  between  me  and  the  doorway  —  the 
slide  was  drawn  across  it,  and  the  individual,  whoever 
he  was,  returned  to  his  mat.  This  was  a  sad  blow  to 
me ;  but  as  it  might  have  roused  the  suspicions  of  the 
islanders  to  have  made  another  attempt  that  night,  I 
was  reluctantly  obliged  to  defer  it  until  the  next.  Sev 
eral  times  after  I  repeated  the  same  manoeuvre,  but  with 
as  little  success  as  before.  As  my  pretence  for  with 
drawing  from  the  house  was  to  allay  my  thirst,  Kory- 
Kory,  either  suspecting  some  design  on  my  part,  or  else 
prompted  by  a  desire  to  please  me,  regularly  every 
evening  placed  a  calabash  of  water  by  my  side. 

Even  under  these  inauspicious  circumstances  I  again 
and  again  renewed  the  attempt ;  but  when  I  did  so  my 
valet  always  rose  with  me,  as  if  determined  I  should 
not  remove  myself  from  his  observation.  For  the  pres 
ent,  therefore,  I  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  attempt ; 
but  I  endeavoured  to  console  myself  with  the  idea  that 
by  this  mode  I  might  yet  effect  my  escape. 

Shortly  after  Marnoo's  visit  I  was  reduced  to  such  a 
state,  that  it  was  with  extreme  difficulty  I  could  walk, 
even  with  the  assistance  of  a  spear,  and  Kory-Kory,  as 
formerly,  was  obliged  to  carry  me  daily  to  the  stream. 

For  hours  and  hours  during  the  warmest  part  of  the 
day  I  lay  upon  my  mat,  and  while  those  around  me 


MELANCHOLY  SITUATION  355 

were  nearly  all  dozing  away  in  careless  ease,  I  remained 
awake,  gloomily  pondering  over  the  fate  which  it  ap 
peared  now  idle  for  me  to  resist,  when  I  thought  of  the 
loved  friends  who  were  thousands  and  thousands  of 
miles  from  the  savage  island  in  which  I  was  held  a  cap 
tive,  when  I  reflected  that  my  dreadful  fate  would  for 
ever  be  concealed  from  them,  and  that  with  hope  de 
ferred  they  might  continue  to  await  my  return  long 
after  my  inanimate  form  had  blended  with  the  dust  of 
the  valley  —  I  could  not  repress  a  shudder  of  anguish. 

How  vividly  is  impressed  upon  my  mind  every 
minute  feature  of  the  scene  which  met  my  view  during 
those  long  days  of  suffering  and  sorrow !  At  my  request 
my  mats  were  always  spread  directly  facing  the  door, 
opposite  which,  and  at  a  little  distance,  was  the  hut  of 
boughs  that  Marheyo  was  building. 

Whenever  my  gentle  Fayaway  and  Kory-Kory,  laying 
themselves  down  beside  me,  would  leave  me  a  while  to 
uninterrupted  repose,  I  took  a  strange  interest  in  the 
slightest  movements  of  the  eccentric  old  warrior.  All 
alone  during  the  stillness  of  the  tropical  mid-day,  he 
would  pursue  his  quiet  work,  sitting  in  the  shade  and 
weaving  together  the  leaflets  of  his  cocoa-nut  branches, 
or  rolling  upon  his  knee  the  twisted  fibres  of  bark  to 
form  the  cords  with  which  he  tied  together  the  thatch 
ing  of  his  tiny  house.  Frequently  suspending  his 
employment,  and  noticing  my  melancholy  eye  fixed 
upon  him,  he  would  raise  his  hand  with  a  gesture  ex 
pressive  of  deep  commiseration,  and  then  moving  towards 
me  slowly  would  enter  on  tip-toes,  fearful  of  disturbing 
the  slumbering  natives,  and,  taking  the  fan  from  my 
hand,  would  sit  before  me,  swaying  it  gently  to  and  fro, 
and  gazing  earnestly  into  my  face. 


356  TYPES 

Just  beyond  the  pi-pi,  and  disposed  in  a  triangle 
before  the  entrance  of  the  house,  were  three  magnifi 
cent  bread-fruit  trees.  At  this  moment  I  can  recall  to 
my  mind  their  slender  shafts,  and  the  graceful  inequal 
ities  of  their  bark,  on  which  my  eye  was  accustomed  to 
dwell  day  after  day  in  the  midst  of  my  solitary  musings. 
It  is  strange  how  inanimate  objects  will  twine  them 
selves  into  our  affections,  especially  in  the  hour  of  afflic 
tion.  Even  now,  amidst  all  the  bustle  and  stir  of  the 
proud  and  busy  city  in  which  I  am  dwelling,  the  image 
of  those  three  trees  seems  to  come  as  vividly  before  my 
eyes  as  if  they  were  actually  present,  and  I  still  feel  the 
soothing  quiet  pleasure  which  I  then  had  in  watching 
hour  after  hour  their  topmost  boughs  waving  gracefully 
in  the  breeze. 


THE  ESCAPE  867 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Escape. 

NEARLY  three  weeks  had  elapsed  since  the  second  visit 
of  Marnoo,  and  it  must  have  been  more  than  four  months 
since  I  entered  the  valley,  when  one  day  about  noon, 
and  whilst  everything  was  in  profound  silence,  Mow- 
Mow,  the  one-eyed  chief,  suddenly  appeared  at  the 
door,  and  leaning  forward  towards  me  as  I  lay  directly 
facing  him,  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  Toby  pemi  ena  "  (Toby 
has  arrived  here).  Gracious  heaven  !  What  a  tumult 
of  emotions  rushed  upon  me  at  this  startling  intelli 
gence  !  Insensible  to  the  pain  that  had  before  dis 
tracted  me,  I  leaped  to  my  feet,  and  called  wildly  to 
Kory-Kory,  who  was  reposing  by  my  side.  The  startled 
islanders  sprang  from  their  mats ;  the  news  was  quickly 
communicated  to  them ;  and  the  next  moment  I  was 
making  my  way  to  the  Ti  on  the  back  of  Kory-Kory, 
and  surrounded  by  the  excited  savages. 

All  that  I  could  comprehend  of  the  particulars  which 
Mow-Mow  rehearsed  to  his  auditors  as  we  proceeded, 
was  that  my  long-lost  companion  had  arrived  in  a  boat 
which  had  just  entered  the  bay.  These  tidings  made 
me  most  anxious  to  be  carried  at  once  to  the  sea,  lest 
«ome  untoward  circumstance  should  prevent  our  meet 
ing  ;  but  to  this  they  would  not  consent,  and  continued 
their  course  towards  the  royal  abode.  As  we  ap 
proached  it,  Mehevi  and  several  chiefs  showed  them- 


358  TTPEE 

selves  from  the  piazza,  and  called  upon  us  loudly  to 
come  to  them. 

As  soon  as  we  had  approached,  I  endeavoured  to 
make  them  understand  that  I  was  going  down  to  the 
sea  to  meet  Toby.  To  this  the  king  objected,  and 
motioned  Kory-Kory  to  bring  me  into  the  house.  It 
was  in  vain  to  resist ;  and  in  a  few  moments  I  found 
myself  within  the  Ti,  surrounded  by  a  noisy  group 
engaged  in  discussing  the  recent  intelligence.  Toby's 
name  was  frequently  repeated,  coupled  with  violent 
exclamations  of  astonishment.  It  seemed  as  if  they 
yet  remained  in  doubt  with  regard  to  the  fact  of  his 
arrival,  and  at  every  fresh  report  that  was  brought  from 
the  shore  they  betrayed  the  liveliest  emotions. 

Almost  frenzied  at  being  held  in  this  state  of  sus 
pense,  I  passionately  besought  Mehevi  to  permit  me  to 
proceed.  Whether  my  companion  had  arrived  or  not, 
I  felt  a  presentiment  that  my  own  fate  was  about  to  be 
decided.  Again  and  again  I  renewed  my  petition  to 
Mehevi.  He  regarded  me  with  a  fixed  and  serious  eye, 
but  at  length  yielding  to  my  importunity,  reluctantly 
granted  my  request. 

Accompanied  by  some  fifty  of  the  natives,  I  now 
rapidly  continued  my  journey;  every  few  moments 
being  transferred  from  the  back  of  one  to  another,  and 
urging  my  bearer  forward  all  the  while  with  earnest 
entreaties.  As  I  thus  hurried  forward,  no  doubt  as  to 
the  truth  of  the  information  I  had  received  ever  crossed 
my  mind.  I  was  alive  only  to  the  one  overwhelming 
idea,  that  a  chance  of  deliverance  was  now  afforded  me, 
if  the  jealous  opposition  of  the  savages  could  be  over 
come. 

Having  been  prohibited  from   approaching  the  sea 


THE  ESCAPE  359 

during  the  whole  of  my  stay  in  the  valley,  I  had  always 
associated  with  it  the  idea  of  escape.  Toby  too  —  if 
indeed  he  had  ever  voluntarily  deserted  me  —  must  have 
effected  his  flight  by  the  sea ;  and  now  that  I  was  draw 
ing  near  to  it  myself,  I  indulged  in  hopes  which  I  had 
never  felt  before.  It  was  evident  that  a  boat  had 
entered  the  bay,  and  I  saw  little  reason  to  doubt  the 
truth  of  the  report  that  it  had  brought  my  companion. 
Every  time  therefore  that  we  gained  an  elevation,  I 
looked  eagerly  around,  hoping  to  behold  him. 

In  the  midst  of  an  excited  throng,  who  by  their 
violent  gestures  and  wild  cries  appeared  to  be  under 
the  influence  of  some  excitement  as  strong  as  my  own, 
I  was  now  borne  along  at  a  rapid  trot,  frequently  stoop 
ing  my  head  to  avoid  the  branches  which  crossed  the 
path,  and  never  ceasing  to  implore  those  who  carried 
me  to  accelerate  their  already  swift  pace. 

In  this  manner  we  had  proceeded  about  four  or  five 
miles,  when  we  were  met  by  a  party  of  some  twenty 
islanders,  between  whom  and  those  who  accompanied 
me  ensued  an  animated  conference.  Impatient  of  the 
delay  occasioned  by  this  interruption,  I  was  beseeching 
the  man  who  carried  me  to  proceed  without  his  loiter 
ing  companions,  when  Kory-Kory,  running  to  my  side, 
informed  me,  in  three  fatal  words,  that  the  news  had  all 
proved  false --that  Toby  had  not  arrived — "Toby 
owlee  pemi."  Heaven  only  knows  how,  in  the  state  of 
mind  and  body  I  then  was,  I  ever  sustained  the  agony 
which  this  int<  iligence  caused  me :  not  that  the  news 
was  altogether  Unexpected ;  but  I  had  trusted  that  the 
fact  might  not  have  been  made  known  until  we  should 
have  arrived  uj  "m  the  beach.  As  it  was,  I  at  once  fore 
saw  the  course  the  savages  woi?Vu  pursue.  They  had 


360  TYPES 

only  yielded  thus  far  to  my  entreaties,  that  I  might 
give  a  joyful  welcome  to  my  long-absent  comrade  ;  but 
now  that  it  was  known  he  had  not  arrived,  they  would 
at  once  oblige  me  to  turn  back. 

My  anticipations  were  but  too  correct.  In  spite  of 
the  resistance  I  made,  they  carried  me  into  a  house 
which  was  near  the  spot,  and  left  me  upon  the  mats. 
Shortly  afterwards  several  of  those  who  had  accompa 
nied  me  from  the  Ti,  detaching  themselves  from  the 
others,  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  sea.  Those  who 
remained — among  whom  were  Marheyo,  Mow-Mow, 
Kory-Kory,  and  Tinor  —  gathered  about  the  dwelling 
and  appeared  to  be  awaiting  their  return. 

This  convinced  me  that  strangers  —  perhaps  some  of 
my  own  countrymen  —  had  for  some  cause  or  other  en 
tered  the  bay.  Distracted  at  the  idea  of  their  vicinity, 
and  reckless  of  the  pain  which  I  suffered,  I  heeded  not 
the  assurances  of  the  islanders,  that  there  were  no  boats 
at  the  beach,  but  starting  to  my  feet  endeavoured  to  gain 
the  door.  Instantly  the  passage  was  blocked  up  by 
several  men,  who  commanded  me  to  resume  my  seat. 
The  fierce  looks  of  the  irritated  savages  admonished  me 
that  I  could  gain  nothing  by  force,  and  that  it  was  by 
entreaty  alone  that  I  could  hope  to  compass  my  object. 

Guided  by  this  consideration,  I  turned  to  Mow-Mow, 
the  only  chief  present  whom  I  had  been  much  in  the 
habit  of  seeing,  and  carefully  concealing  my  real  de 
sign,  tried  to  make  him  comprehend  that  I  still  believed 
Toby  to  have  arrived  on  the  shore,  and  besought  him  to 
allow  me  to  go  forward  to  welcome  him.  To  all  his  re 
peated  assertions,  that  my  companion  had  not  been 
seen,  I  pretended  to  turn  a  deaf  ear :  while  I  urged  my  so 
licitations  with  an  eloquence  of  gesture  which  the  one- 


THE  ESCAPE  961 

eyed  chief  appeared  unable  to  resist.  He  seemed  indeed  to 
regard  me  as  a  f reward  child,  to  whose  wishes  he  had  not 
the  heart  to  oppose  force,  and  whom  he  must  conse 
quently  humour.  He  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  natives, 
who  at  once  retreated  from  the  door,  and  immediately 
passed  out  of  the  house. 

Here  I  looked  earnestly  round  for  Kory-Kory;  but 
that  hitherto  faithful  servitor  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
Unwilling  to  linger  even  for  a  single  instant  when 
every  moment  might  be  so  important,  I  motioned  to  a 
muscular  fellow  near  me  to  take  me  upon  his  back :  to 
my  surprise  he  angrily  refused.  I  turned  to  another, 
but  with  a  like  result.  A  third  attempt  was  as  unsuc 
cessful,  and  I  immediately  perceived  what  had  induced 
Mow-Mow  to  grant  my  request  and  why  the  other  na 
tives  conducted  themselves  in  so  strange  a  manner.  It 
was  evident  that  the  chief  had  only  given  me  liberty  to 
continue  my  progress  towards  the  sea  because  he  sup 
posed  that  I  was  deprived  of  the  means  of  reaching  it. 

Convinced  by  this  of  their  determination  to  retain  me 
a  captive,  I  became  desperate ;  and  almost  insensible  to 
the  pain  which  I  suffered,  I  seized  a  spear  which  was 
leaning  against  the  projecting  eaves  of  the  house,  and 
supporting  myself  with  it,  resumed  the  path  that  swept 
by  the  dwelling.  To  my  surprise  I  was  suffered  to  pro 
ceed  alone,  all  the  natives  remaining  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  engaging  in  earnest  conversation,  which 
every  moment  became  more  loud  and  vehement ;  and  to 
my  unspeakable  delight  I  perceived  that  some  differ 
ence  of  opinion  had  arisen  between  them;  that  two 
parties,  in  short,  were  formed,  and  consequently  that 
in  their  divided  counsels  there  was  some  chance  of  my 
deliverance. 


862  TYPES 

Before  I  had  proceeded  a  hundred  yards  I  was  again 
surrounded  by  the  savages,  who  were  still  in  all  the 
heat  of  argument,  and  appeared  every  moment  as  if 
they  would  come  to  blows.  In  the  midst  of  this  tu 
mult  old  Marheyo  came  to  my  side,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  benevolent  expression  of  his  countenance. 
He  placed  his  arm  upon  my  shoulder,  and  emphatically 
pronounced  the  only  two  English  words  I  had  taught 
him — "  Home  "  and  "  Mother."  I  at  once  understood 
what  he  meant,  and  eagerly  expressed  my  thanks  to 
him.  Fayaway  and  Kory-Kory  were  by  his  side,  both 
weeping  violently;  and  it  was  not  until  the  old  man 
had  twice  repeated  the  command  that  his  son  could 
bring  himself  to  obey  him,  and  take  me  again  upon  his 
back.  The  one-eyed  chief  opposed  his  doing  so,  but  he 
was  over-ruled,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  by  some  of  his 
own  party. 

We  proceeded  onwards,  and  never  shall  I  forget  the 
ecstasy  I  felt  when  I  first  heard  the  roar  of  the  surf 
breaking  upon  the  beach.  Before  long  I  saw  the  flash 
ing  billows  themselves  through  the  opening  between  the 
trees.  Oh  glorious  sight  and  sound  of  ocean !  with 
what  rapture  did  I  hail  you  as  familiar  friends !  By 
this  time  the  shouts  of  the  crowd  upon  the  beach  were 
distinctly  audible,  and  in  the  blended  confusion  of 
sounds  I  almost  fancied  I  could  distinguish  the  voices 
of  my  own  countrymen. 

When  we  reached  the  open  space  which  lay  between 
the  groves  and  the  sea,  the  first  object  that  met  my  view 
was  an  English  whale-boat,  lying  with  her  bow  pointed 
from  the  shore,  and  only  a  few  fathoms  distant  from  it. 
It  was  manned  by  five  islanders,  dressed  in  short  tunics 
of  calico.  My  first  impression  was  that  they  were  in 


THE  ESCAPE  863 

the  very  act  of  pulling  out  from  the  bay ;  and  that, 
after  all  my  exertions,  I  had  come  too  late.  My  soul 
sunk  within  me:  but  a  second  glance  convinced  me 
that  the  boat  was  only  hanging  off  to  keep  out  of  the 
surf ;  and  the  next  moment  I  heard  my  own  name 
shouted  out  by  a  voice  from  the  midst  of  the  crowd. 

Looking  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  I  perceived, 
to  my  indescribable  joy,  the  tall  figure  of  Karakoee,  an 
Oahu  Kanaka,  who  had  often  been  aboard  the  Dolly, 
while  she  lay  in  Nukuheva.  He  wore  the  green  shoot 
ing-jacket  with  gilt  buttons,  which  had  been  given  to 
him  by  an  officer  of  the  Reine  Blanche  —  the  French 
flag-ship  —  and  in  which  I  had  always  seen  him  dressed. 
I  now  remembered  the  Kanaka  had  frequently  told  me 
that  his  person  was  tabooed  in  all  the  valleys  of  the  island, 
and  the  sight  of  him  at  such  a  moment  as  this  filled  my 
heart  with  a  tumult  of  delight. 

Karakoee  stood  near  the  edge  of  the  water  with  a 
large  roll  of  cotton  cloth  thrown  over  one  arm,  and  hold 
ing  two  or  three  canvas  bags  of  powder;  while  with 
the  other  hand  he  grasped  a  musket,  which  he  appeared 
to  be  proffering  to  several  of  the  chiefs  around  him. 
But  they  turned  with  disgust  from  his  offers,  and  seemed 
to  be  impatient  at  his  presence,  with  vehement  gestures 
waving  him  off  to  his  boat,  and  commanding  him  to 
depart. 

The  Kanaka,  however,  still  maintained  his  ground, 
and  I  at  once  perceived  that  he  was  seeking  to  purchase 
my  freedom.  Animated  by  the  idea,  I  called  upon  him 
loudly  to  come  to  me ;  but  he  replied,  in  broken  Eng 
lish,  that  the  islanders  had  threatened  to  pierce  him 
with  their  spears,  if  he  stirred  a  foot  towards  me.  At 
this  time  I  was  still  advancing,  surrounded  by  a  dense 


964  TYPES 

throng  of  the  natives,  several  of  whom  had  their  hands 
upon  me,  and  more  than  one  javelin  was  threateningly 
pointed  at  me.  Still  I  perceived  clearly  that  many  of 
those  least  friendly  towards  me  looked  irresolute  and 
anxious. 

I  was  still  some  thirty  yards  from  Karakoee  when  my 
farther  progress  was  prevented  by  the  natives,  who  com 
pelled  me  to  sit  down  upon  the  ground,  while  they 
still  retained  their  hold  upon  my  arms.  The  din  and 
tumult  now  became  tenfold,  and  I  perceived  that  sev^ 
eral  of  the  priests  were  on  the  spot,  all  of  whom  were 
evidently  urging  Mow-Mow  and  the  other  chiefs  to 
prevent  my  departure ;  and  the  detestable  word  "  Roo- 
ne !  Roo-ne  !  "  which  I  had  heard  repeated  a  thousand 
times  during  the  day,  was  now  shouted  out  on  every 
side  of  me.  Still  I  saw  that  the  Kanaka  continued  his 
exertions  in  my  favor — that  he  was  boldly  debating  the 
matter  with  the  savages,  and  was  striving  to  entice  them 
by  displaying  his  cloth  and  powder,  and  snapping  the 
lock  of  his  musket.  But  all  he  said  or  did  appeared 
only  to  augment  the  clamours  of  those  around  him,  who 
seemed  bent  upon  driving  him  into  the  sea. 

When  I  remembered  the  extravagant  value  placed  by 
these  people  upon  the  articles  which  were  offered  to 
them  in  exchange  for  me,  and  which  were  so  indignantly 
rejected,  I  saw  a  new  proof  of  the  same  fixed  determina 
tion  of  purpose  they  had  all  along  manifested  with  re 
gard  to  me,  and  in  despair,  and  reckless  of  consequences, 
I  exerted  all  my  strength,  and  shaking  myself  free  from 
the  grasp  of  those  who  held  me,  I  sprung  upon  my  feet 
and  rushed  towards  Karakoee. 

The  rash  attempt  nearly  decided  my  fate ;  for,  fear 
ful  that  I  might  slip  from  them,  several  of  the  islanders 


THE  ESCAPE  365 

now  raised  a  simultaneous  shout,  and  pressing  upon 
Karakoee,  they  menaced  him  with  furious  gestures,  and 
actually  forced  him  into  the  sea.  Appalled  at  their 
violence,  the  poor,  fellow,  standing  nearly  to  the  waist 
in  the  surf,  endeavored  to  pacify  them ;  but  at  length, 
fearful  that  they  would  do  him  some  fatal  violence,  he 
beckoned  to  his  comrades  to  pull  in  at  once,  and  take 
him  into  the  boat. 

It  was  at  this  agonizing  moment,  when  I  thought  all 
hope  was  ended,  that  a  new  contest  arose  between  the 
two  parties  who  had  accompanied  me  to  the  shore  ;  blows 
were  struck,  wounds  were  given,  and  blood  flowed.  In 
the  interest  excited  by  the  fray,  every  one  had  left  me  ex 
cept  Marheyo,  Kory-Kory,  and  poor  dear  Fayaway,  who 
clung  to  me,  sobbing  indignantly.  I  saw  that  now  or 
never  was  the  moment.  Clasping  my  hands  together, 
I  looked  imploringly  at  Marheyo,  and  moved  towards 
the  now  almost  deserted  beach.  The  tears  were  in  the 
old  man's  eyes,  but  neither  he  nor  Kory-Kory  attempted 
to  hold  me,  and  I  soon  reached  the  Kanaka,  who  had 
been  anxiously  watching  my  movements ;  the  rowers 
pulled  in  as  near  as  they  dared  to  the  edge  of  the  surf ; 
I  gave  one  parting  embrace  to  Fayaway,  who  seemed 
speechless  with  sorrow,  and  the  next  instant  I  found 
myself  safe  in  the  boat,  and  Karakoee  by  my  side,  who 
told  the  rowers  at  once  to  give  way.  Marheyo  and 
Kory-Kory,  and  a  great  many  of  the  women,  followed 
me  into  the  water,  and  I  was  determined,  as  the  only 
mark  of  gratitude  I  could  show,  to  give  them  the  arti 
cles  which  had  been  brought  as  my  ransom.  I  handed 
the  musket  to  Kory-Kory,  with  a  rapid  gesture  which 
was  equivalent  to  a  "  Deed  of  Gift ;  "  threw  the  roll  of 
©otton  to  old  Marheyo,  pointing  as  I  did  so  to  poor  Fay- 


366  TYPEE 

away,  who  had  retired  from  the  edge  of  the  water  and 
was  sitting  down  disconsolate  on  the  shingles ;  and  tum 
bled  the  powder-bags  out  to  the  nearest  young  ladies, 
all  of  whom  were  vastly  willing  to  take  them.  This 
distribution  did  not  occupy  ten  seconds,  and  before  it 
was  over  the  boat  was  under  full  way  ;  the  Kanaka  all 
the  while  exclaiming  loudly  against  what  he  considered 
a  useless  throwing  away  of  valuable  property. 

Although  it  was  clear  that  my  movements  had  been  no 
ticed  by  several  of  the  natives,  still  they  had  not  sus 
pended  the  conflict  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  boat  was  above  fifty  yards  from  the 
shore  that  Mow-Mow  and  some  six  or  seven  other  warri 
ors  rushed  into  the  sea  and  hurled  their  javelins  at  us. 
Some  of  the  weapons  passed  quite  as  close  to  us  as  was 
desirable,  but  no  one  was  wounded,  and  the  men  pulled 
away  gallantly.  But  although  soon  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  spears,  our  progress  was  extremely  slow ;  it  blew 
strong  upon  the  shore,  and  the  tide  was  against  us ;  and 
I  saw  Karakoee,  who  was  steering  the  boat,  give  many  a 
look  towards  a  jutting  point  of  the  bay  round  which  we 
had  to  pass. 

For  a  minute  or  two  after  our  departure,  the  savages, 
who  had  formed  into  different  groups,  remained  perfectly 
motionless  and  silent.  All  at  once  the  enraged  chief 
showed  by  his  gestures  that  he  had  resolved  what  course 
he  would  take.  Shouting  loudly  to  his  companions,  and 
pointing  with  his  tomahawk  towards  the  headland,  he 
set  off  at  full  speed  in  that  direction,  and  was  followed 
by  about  thirty  of  the  natives,  among  whom  were  several 
of  the  priests,  all  yelling  out  "  Roo-ne !  Roo-ne ! "  at  the 
very  top  of  their  voices.  Their  intention  was  evidently 
to  swim  off  from  the  headland  and  interrupt  us  in  our 


THE  ESCAPE  867 

course.  The  wind  was  freshening  every  minute,  and 
was  right  in  our  teeth,  and  it  was  one  of  those  chopping 
angry  seas  in  which  it  is  so  difficult  to  row.  Still  the 
chances  seemed  in  our  favour,  but  when  we  came  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  the  point,  the  active  savages  were 
already  dashing  into  the  water,  and  we  all  feared  that 
within  five  minutes'  time  we  should  have  a  score  of  the 
infuriated  wretches  around  us.  If  so,  our  doom  was 
sealed,  for  these  savages,  unlike  the  feeble  swimmers  of 
civilised  countries,  are,  if  anything,  more  formidable  an 
tagonists  in  the  water  than  when  on  the  land.  It  was 
all  a  trial  of  strength ;  our  natives  pulled  till  their  oars 
bent  again,  and  the  crowd  of  swimmers  shot  through  the 
water  despite  its  roughness,  with  fearful  rapidity. 

By  the  time  we  had  reached  the  headland,  the  savages 
were  spread  right  across  our  course.  Our  rowers  got 
out  their  knives  and  held  them  ready  between  their 
teeth,  and  I  seized  the  boat-hook.  We  were  well  aware 
that  if  they  succeeded  in  intercepting  us  they  would 
practise  upon  us  the  manoeuvre  which  has  proved  so 
fatal  to  many  a  boat's  crew  in  these  seas.  They  would 
grapple  the  oars,  and  seizing  hold  of  the  gunwale,  cap" 
size  the  boat,  and  then  we  should  be  entirely  at  their 
mercy. 

After  a  few  breathless  moments  I  discerned  Mow- 
Mow.  The  athletic  islander,  with  his  tomahawk  between 
his  teeth,  was  dashing  the  water  before  him  till  it  foamed 
again.  He  was  the  nearest  to  us,  and  in  another  instant 
he  would  have  seized  one  of  the  oars.  Even  at  the  mo 
ment  I  felt  horror  at  the  act  I  was  about  to  commit ; 
but  it  was  no  time  for  pity  or  compunction,  and  with  a 
true  aim,  and  exerting  all  my  strength,  I  dashed  the 
boat-hook  at  him.  It  struck  him  just  below  the  throat, 


868  TYPES 

and  forced  him  downwards.  I  had  no  time  to  repeat  my 
blow,  but  I  saw  him  rise  to  the  surface  in  the  wake  of 
the  boat,  and  never  shall  I  forget  the  ferocious  expres 
sion  of  his  countenance. 

Only  one  other  of  the  savages  reached  the  boat.  He 
seized  the  gunwale,  but  the  knives  of  our  rowers  so 
mauled  his  wrists,  that  he  was  forced  to  quit  his  hold, 
and  the  next  minute  we  were  past  them  all,  and  in 
safety.  The  strong  excitement  which  had  thus  far  kept 
me  up,  now  left  me,  and  I  fell  back  fainting  into  the 
arms  of  Karakoee. 

The  circumstances  connected  with  my  most  unex 
pected  escape  may  be  very  briefly  stated.  The  captain 
of  an  Australian  vessel,  being  in  distress  for  men  in 
these  remote  seas,  had  put  into  Nukuheva  in  order  to 
recruit  his  ship's  company ;  but  not  a  single  man  was 
to  be  obtained;  and  the  barque  was  about  to  get  under 
weigh,  when  she  was  boarded  by  Karakoee,  who 
informed  the  disappointed  Englishman  that  an  Ameri 
can  sailor  was  detained  by  the  savages  in  the  neighbour 
ing  bay  of  Typee  ;  and  he  offered,  if  supplied  with 
suitable  articles  of  traffic,  to  undertake  his  release. 
The  Kanaka  had  gained  his  intelligence  from  Marnoo, 
to  whom,  after  all,  I  was  indebted  for  my  escape.  The 
proposition  was  acceded  to ;  and  Karakoee,  taking  with 
him  five  tabooed  natives  of  Nukuheva,  again  repaired 
aboard  the  barque,  which  in  a  few  hours  sailed  to  that 
part  of  the  island,  and  threw  her  main-top-sail  aback 
right  off  the  entrance  to  the  Typee  bay.  The  whale- 
boat,  manned  by  the  tabooed  crew,  pulled  towards  the 
head  of  the  inlet,  while  the  ship  lay  "  off  and  on"  await 
ing  its  return. 


THS  ESCAPE 

The  events  which  ensued  have  already  been  detailed, 
and  little  more  remains  to  be  related.  On  reaching  the 
Julia  I  was  lifted  over  the  side,  and  my  strange  ap 
pearance  and  remarkable  adventure  occasioned  the  live 
liest  interest.  Every  attention  was  bestowed  upon  me 
that  humanity  could  suggest.  But  to  such  a  state  was 
I  reduced,  that  three  months  elapsed  before  I  recovered 
my  health. 

The  mystery  which  hung  over  the  fate  of  my  friend 
and  companion  Toby  has  never  been  cleared  up.  I  still 
remain  ignorant  whether  he  succeeded  in  leaving  the 
valley,  or  perished  at  the  hands  of  the  islanders. 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY. 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY. 


THE  morning  my  comrade  left  me,  as  related  in  the 
narrative,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  large  party  of  the 
natives,  some  of  them  carrying  fruit  and  hogs  for 
the  purposes  of  traffic,  as  the  report  had  spread  that 
boats  had  touched  at  the  bay. 

As  they  proceeded  through  the  settled  parts  of  the 
valley,  numbers  joined  them  from  every  side,  running 
with  animated  cries  from  every  pathway.  So  excited 
were  the  whole  party,  that  eager  as  Toby  was  to  gain 
the  beach,  it  was  almost  as  much  as  he  could  do  to 
keep  up  with  them.  Making  the  valley  ring  with  their 
shouts,  they  hurried  along  on  a  swift  trot,  those  in 
advance  pausing  now  and  then,  and  flourishing  their 
weapons  to  urge  the  rest  forward. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  place  where  the  path  crossed 
a  band  of  the  main  stream  of  the  valley.  Here  a 
strange  sound  came  through  the  grove  beyond,  and  the 
Islanders  halted.  It  was  Mow-Mow,  the  one-eyed  chief, 
who  had  gone  on  before ;  he  was  striking  his  heavy 
lance  against  the  hollow  bough  of  a  tree. 

This  was  a  signal  of  alarm;  —  for  nothing  was  now 
heard  but  shouts  of  "  Happar !  Happar !  "  —  the  war 
riors  tilting  with  their  spears  and  brandishing  them  in 
the  air,  and  the  women  and  boys  shouting  to  each  other, 

373 


374  TYPEE 

and  picking  up  the  stones  in  the  bed  of  the  stream. 
In  a  moment  or  two  Mow-Mow  and  two  or  three  other 
chiefs  ran  out  from  the  grove,  and  the  din  increased 
ten-fold. 

Now,  thought  Toby,  for  a  fray ;  and  being  unarmed, 
he  besought  one  of  the  young  men  domiciled  with 
Marheyo  for  the  loan  of  his  spear.  But  he  was  refused; 
the  youth  roguishly  telling  him  that  the  weapon  was 
very  good  for  him  (the  Typee),  but  that  a  white  man 
could  fight  much  better  with  his  fists. 

The  merry  humour  of  this  young  wag  seemed  to  be 
shared  by  the  rest,  for  in  spite  of  their  warlike  cries 
and  gestures,  everybody  was  capering  about  and  laugh 
ing,  as  if  it  was  one  of  the  funniest  things  in  the  world 
to  be  awaiting  the  flight  of  a  score  or  two  of  Happar 
javelins  from  an  ambush  in  the  thickets. 

While  my  comrade  was  in  vain  trying  to  make  out 
the  meaning  of  all  this,  a  good  number  of  the  natives 
separated  themselves  from  the  rest  and  ran  off  into  the 
grove  on  one  side,  the  others  now  keeping  perfectly 
still,  as  if  awaiting  the  result.  After  a  little  while, 
however,  Mow-Mow,  who  stood  in  advance,  motioned 
them  to  come  on  stealthily,  which  they  did,  scarcely 
rustling  a  leaf.  Thus  they  crept  along  for  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  every  now  and  then  pausing  to  listen. 

Toby  by  no  means  relished  this  sort  of  skulking ;  if 
there  was  going  to  be  a  fight  he  wanted  it  to  begin  at 
once.  But  all  in  good  time,  —  for  just  then,  as  they 
went  prowling  into  the  thickest  of  the  wood,  terrific 
howls  burst  upon  them  on  all  sides,  and  volleys  of 
darts  and  stones  flew  across  the  path.  Not  an  enemy 
was  to  be  seen,  and,  what  was  still  more  surprising,  not 
a  single  man  dropped,  though  the  pebbles  fell  among 
the  leaves  like  hail. 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  375 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  when  the  Typees,  with 
wild  shrieks,  flung  themselves  into  the  covert,  spear  in 
hand ;  nor  was  Toby  behindhand.  Coming  so  near  get 
ting  his  skull  broken  by  the  stones,  and  animated  by  an 
old  grudge  he  bore  the  Happars,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  dash  at  them.  As  he  broke  his  way  through  the 
underbrush,  trying,  as  he  did  so,  to  wrest  a  spear  from  a 
young  chief,  the  shouts  of  battle  all  of  a  sudden  ceased, 
and  the  wood  was  as  still  as  death.  The  next  moment, 
the  party  who  had  left  them  so  mysteriously  rushed  out 
from  behind  every  bush  and  tree,  and  united  with  the 
rest  in  long  and  merry  peals  of  laughter. 

It  was  all  a  sham,  and  Toby,  who  was  quite  out  of 
breath  with  excitement,  was  much  incensed  at  being 
made  a  fool  of. 

It  afterwards  turned  out  that  the  whole  affair  had 
been  concerted  for  his  particular  benefit,  though  with 
what  precise  view  it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  My  com 
rade  was  the  more  enraged  at  this  boys'  play,  since  it 
had  consumed  so  much  time,  every  moment  of  which 
might  be  precious.  Perhaps,  however,  it  was  partly 
intended  for  this  very  purpose ;  and  he  was  led  to  think 
so,  because,  when  the  natives  started  again,  he  observed 
that  they  did  not  seem  to  be  in  so  great  a  hurry  as 
before.  At  last,  after  they  had  gone  some  distance, 
Toby,  thinking  all  the  while  that  they  never  would  get 
to  the  sea,  two  men  came  running  towards  them,  and  a 
regular  halt  ensued,  followed  by  a  noisy  discussion, 
during  which  Toby's  name  was  often  repeated.  All 
this  made  him  more  and  more  anxious  to  learn  what 
was  going  on  at  the  beach ;  but  it  was  in  vain  that  he 
now  tried  to  push  forward ;  the  natives  held  him  back. 

In  a  few  moments  the  conference  ended,  and  many  of 


376  TYPES 

them  ran  down  the  path  in  the  direction  of  the  water, 
the  rest  surrounding  Toby,  and  entreating  him  to 
"Moce,"  or  sit  down  and  rest  himself.  As  an  additional 
inducement,  several  calabashes  of  food,  which  had  been 
brought  along,  were  now  placed  on  the  ground,  and 
opened,  and  pipes  also  were  lighted.  Toby  bridled  his 
impatience  a  while,  but  at  last  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
dashed  forward  again.  He  was  soon  overtaken  never* 
theless,  and  again  surrounded,  but  without  further 
detention  was  then  permitted  to  go  down  to  the  sea. 

They  came  out  upon  a  bright  green  space  between 
the  groves  and  the  water,  and  close  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Happar  mountain,  where  a  path  was  seen,  wind 
ing  out  of  sight  through  a  gorge. 

No  sign  of  a  boat,  however,  was  beheld ;  nothing  but 
a  tumultuous  crowd  of  men  and  women,  and  some  one 
in  their  midst,  earnestly  talking  to  them.  As  my  com 
rade  advanced,  this  person  came  forward  and  proved  to 
be  no  stranger.  He  was  an  old  grizzled  sailor,  whom 
Toby  and  myself  had  frequently  seen  in  Nukuheva, 
where  he  lived  an  easy  devil-may-care  life  in  the  house 
hold  of  Mowanna  the  king,  going  by  the  name  of 
"  Jimmy."  In  fact,  he  was  the  royal  favourite,  and  had 
a  good  deal  to  say  in  his  master's  councils.  He  wore  a 
Manilla  hat  and  a  sort  of  tappa  morning  gown,  suffi 
ciently  loose  and  negligent  to  show  the  verse  of  a  song 
tattooed  upon  his  chest,  and  a  variety  of  spirited  cuts 
by  native  artists  in  other  parts  of  his  body.  He  sported 
a  fishing-rod  in  his  hand,  and  carried  a  sooty  old  pipe 
slung  about  his  neck. 

This  old  rover  having  retired  from  active  life,  had 
resided  in  Nukuheva  for  some  time,  could  speak  the 
language,  and  for  that  reason  was  frequently  employed 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  377 

by  the  French  as  an  interpreter.  He  was  an  arrant  old 
gossip  too ;  forever  coming  off  in  his  canoe  to  the  ships 
in  the  bay,  and  regaling  their  crews  with  choice  little 
morsels  of  court  scandal ;  such,  for  instance,  as  a  shame 
ful  intrigue  of  his  majesty  with  a  Happar  damsel,  a 
public  dancer  at  the  feasts,  and  otherwise  relating  some 
incredible  tales  about  the  Marquesas  generally.  I  re 
member  in  particular  his  telling  the  Dolly's  crew  what 
proved  to  be  literally  a  cock-and-bull  story,  about  two 
natural  prodigies  which  he  said  were  then  on  the  island. 
One  was  an  old  monster  of  a  hermit,  having  a  marvel 
lous  reputation  for  sanctity,  and  reputed  a  famous  sor 
cerer,  who  lived  away  off  in  a  den  among  the  mountains, 
where  he  hid  from  the  world  a  great  pair  of  horns  that 
grew  out  of  his  temples.  Notwithstanding  his  reputa 
tion  for  piety,  this  horrid  old  fellow  was  the  terror  of 
all  the  island  round,  being  reported  to  come  out  from 
his  retreat,  and  go  a  man-hunting  every  dark  night. 
Some  anonymous  Paul  Pry,  too,  coming  down  the 
mountain,  once  got  a  peep  at  his  den,  and  found  it 
full  of  bones.  In  short,  he  was  a  most  unheard-of 
monster. 

The  other  prodigy  Jimmy  told  us  about,  was  the 
younger  son  of  a  chief,  who,  although  but  just  turned 
of  ten,  had  entered  upon  holy  orders,  because  his  super 
stitious  countrymen  thought  him  especially  intended 
for  the  priesthood  from  the  fact  of  his  having  a  comb 
on  his  head  like  a  rooster.  But  this  was  not  all ;  for 
still  more  wonderful  to  relate,  the  boy  prided  himself 
upon  this  strange  crest,  being  actually  endowed  with 
a  cock's  voice,  and  frequently  crowing  over  his  pecu 
liarity. 

But  to  return  to  Toby.     The  moment  he  saw  the  old 


378  TYPEE 

rover  on  the  beach,  he  ran  up  to  him,  the  natives  fol 
lowing  after,  and  forming  a  circle  round  them. 

After  welcoming  him  to  the  shore,  Jimmy  went  on  to 
tell  him  how  that  he  knew  all  about  our  having  run 
away  from  the  ship,  and  being  among  the  Typees.  In 
deed,  he  had  been  urged  by  Mowanna  to  come  over  to 
the  valley,  and  after  visiting  his  friends  there,  to  bring 
us  back  with  him,  his  royal  master  being  exceedingly 
anxious  to  share  with  him  the  reward  which  had  been 
held  out  for  our  capture.  He,  however,  assured  Toby 
that  he  had  indignantly  spurned  the  offer. 

All  this  astonished  my  comrade  not  a  little,  as  neither 
of  us  had  entertained  the  least  idea  that  any  white  man 
ever  visited  the  Typees  sociably.  But  Jimmy  told  him 
that  such  was  the  case  nevertheless,  although  he  seldom 
came  into  the  bay,  and  scarcely  ever  went  back  from 
the  beach.  One  of  the  priests  of  the  valley,  in  some 
way  or  other  connected  with  an  old  tattooed  divine  in 
Nukuheva,  was  a  friend  of  his,  and  through  him  he  was 
"  taboo." 

He  said,  moreover,  that  he  was  sometimes  employed 
to  come  round  to  the  bay,  and  engage  fruit  for  ships 
lying  in  Nukuheva.  In  fact,  he  was  now  on  that  very 
errand,  according  to  his  own  account,  having  just  come 
across  the  mountains  by  the  way  of  Happar.  By  noon 
of  the  next  day  the  fruit  would  be  heaped  up  in  stacks 
on  the  beach,  in  readiness  for  the  boats  which  he  then 
intended  to  bring  into  the  bay. 

Jimmy  now  asked  Toby  whether  he  wished  to  leave 
the  island ;  if  he  did,  there  was  a  ship  in  want  of  men 
lying  in  the  other  harbour,  and  he  would  be  glad  to 
take  him  over,  and  see  him  on  board  that  very  day. 

"No,"  said  Toby,  "I  cannot  leave  the  island  unless 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  379 

my  comrade  goes  with  me.  I  left  him  up  the  valley 
because  they  would  not  let  him  come  down.  Let  us  go 
now  and  fetch  him." 

"But  how  is  he  to  cross  the  mountain  with  us," 
replied  Jimmy,  "even  if  we  get  him  down  to  the  beach? 
Better  let  him  stay  till  to-morrow,  and  I  will  bring  him 
round  to  Nukuheva  in  the  boats." 

"  That  will  never  do,"  said  Toby  ;  "  but  come  along 
with  me  now,  and  let  us  get  him  down  here  at  any 
rate ; "  and  yielding  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  he 
started  to  hurry  back  into  the  valley.  But  hardly  was 
his  back  turned,  when  a  dozen  hands  were  laid  on  him, 
and  he  learned  that  he  could  not  go  a  step  farther. 

It  was  in  vain  that  he  fought  with  them ;  they  would 
not  hear  of  his  stirring  from  the  beach.  Cut  to  the 
heart  at  this  unexpected  repulse,  Toby  now  conjured 
the  sailor  to  go  after  me  alone.  But  Jimmy  replied, 
that  in  the  mood  the  Typees  then  were  they  would  not 
permit  him  so  to  do,  though  at  the  same  time  he  was 
not  afraid  of  their  offering  him  any  harm. 

Little  did  Toby  then  think,  as  he  afterwards  had 
good  reason  to  suspect,  that  this  very  Jimmy  was  a 
heartless  villain,  who,  by  his  arts,  had  just  incited  the 
natives  to  restrain  him  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  going 
after  me.  Well  must  the  old  sailor  have  known,  too, 
that  the  natives  would  never  consent  to  our  leaving 
together,  and  he  therefore  wanted  to  get  Toby  off  alone, 
for  a  purpose  which  he  afterwards  made  plain.  Of  all 
this,  however,  my  comrade  now  knew  nothing. 

He  was  still  struggling  with  the  islanders  when 
Jimmy  again  came  up  to  him,  and  warned  him  against 
irritating  them,  saying  that  he  was  only  making  matters 
worse  for  both  of  us,  and  if  they  became  enraged,  there 


380  TYPES 

was  no  telling  what  might  happen.  At  last  he  made 
Toby  sit  down  on  a  broken  canoe  by  a  pile  of  stones, 
upon  which  was  a  ruinous  little  shrine  supported  by 
four  upright  paddles,  and  in  front  partly  screened  by  a 
net.  The  fishing  parties  met  there,  when  they  came  in 
from  the  sea,  for  their  offerings  were  laid  before  an 
image,  upon  a  smooth  black  stone  within.  This  spot 
Jimmy  said  was  strictly  "  taboo,"  and  no  one  would 
molest  or  come  near  him  while  he  stayed  by  its  shadow. 
The  old  sailor  then  went  off,  and  began  speaking  very 
earnestly  to  Mow-Mow  and  some  other  chiefs,  while  all 
the  rest  formed  a  circle  round  the  taboo  place,  looking 
intently  at  Toby,  and  talking  to  each  other  without 
ceasing. 

Now,  notwithstanding  what  Jimmy  had  just  told  him, 
there  presently  came  up  to  my  comrade  an  old  woman, 
who  seated  herself  beside  him  on  the  canoe. 

"Typee  Motarkee?"  said  she.  "Motarkee  nuee," 
said  Toby. 

She  then  asked  him  whether  he  was  going  to  Nuku- 
heva ;  he  nodded  yes ;  and  with  a  plaintive  wail  and 
her  eyes  filling  with  tears  she  rose  and  left  him. 

This  old  woman,  the  sailor  afterwards  said,  was  the 
wife  of  an  aged  king  of  a  small  inland  valley,  communi 
cating  by  a  deep  pass  with  the  country  of  the  Typees. 
The  inmates  of  the  two  valleys  were  related  to  each 
other  by  blood,  and  were  known  by  the  same  name. 
The  old  woman  had  gone  down  into  the  Typee  valley 
the  day  before,  and  was  now  with  three  chiefs,  her  sons, 
on  a  visit  to  her  kinsmen. 

As  the  old  king's  wife  left  him,  Jimmy  again  came 
up  to  Toby,  and  told  him  that  he  had  just  talked  the 
whole  matter  over  with  the  natives,  and  there  was  only 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  B81 

one  course  for  him  to  follow.  They  would  not  allow 
him  to  go  back  into  the  valley,  and  harm  would  cer 
tainly  come  to  both  him  and  me,  if  he  remained  much 
longer  on  the  beach.  "  So,"  said  he,  "  you  and  I  had 
better  go  to  Nukuheva  now  overland,  and  to-morrow  I 
will  bring  Tommo,  as  they  call  him,  by  water;  they 
have  promised  to  carry  him  down  to  the  sea  for  me 
early  in  the  morning,  so  that  there  will  be  no  delay." 

44  No,  no,"  said  Toby  desperately,  "  I  will  not  leave 
him  that  way  ;  we  must  escape  together." 

"Then  there  is  no  hope  for  you,"  exclaimed  the 
sailor ;  "  for  if  I  leave  you  here  on  the  beach,  as  soon 
as  I  am  gone  you  will  be  carried  back  into  the  valley, 
and  then  neither  of  you  will  ever  look  upon  the  sea 
again."  And  with  many  oaths  he  swore  that  if  he 
would  only  go  to  Nukuheva  with  him  that  day,  he 
would  be  sure  to  have  me  there  the  very  next  morn 
ing. 

44  But  how  do  you  know  they  will  bring  him  down  to 
the  beach  to-morrow,  when  they  will  not  do  so  to-day  ?  " 
said  Toby.  But  the  sailor  had  many  reasons,  all  of 
which  were  so  mixed  up  with  the  mysterious  customs 
of  the  islanders,  that  he  was  none  the  wiser.  Indeed, 
their  conduct,  especially  in  preventing  him  from  return 
ing  into  the  valley,  was  absolutely  unaccountable  to 
him ;  and  added  to  everything  else,  was  the  bitter 
reflection,  that  the  old  sailor,  after  all,  might  possibly 
be  deceiving  him.  And  then  again  he  had  to  think  of 
me,  left  alone  with  the  natives,  and  by  no  means  well. 
If  he  went  with  Jimmy,  he  might  at  least  hope  to  pro 
cure  some  relief  for  me.  But  might  not  the  savages 
who  had  acted  so  strangely,  hurry  me  off  somewhere 
before  his  return?  Then,  even  if  he  remained,  perhaps 


382  TYPES 

they  would  not  let  him  go  back  into  the  valley  where 
I  was. 

Thus  perplexed  was  my  poor  comrade  ;  he  knew  not 
what  to  do,  and  his  courageous  spirit  was  of  no  use  to 
him  now.  There  he  was,  all  by  himself,  seated  upon 
the  broken  canoe  —  the  natives  grouped  around  him  at 
a  distance,  and  eying  him  more  and  more  fixedly. 

"  It  is  getting  late,"  said  Jimmy,  who  was  standing 
behind  the  rest.  "  Nukuheva  is  far  off,  and  I  cannot 
cross  the  Happar  country  by  night.  You  see  how  it  is : 
—  if  you  come  along  with  me,  all  will  be  well ;  if  you 
do  not,  depend  upon  it,  neither  of  you  will  ever 


"  There  is  no  help  for  it,"  said  Toby,  at  last,  with  a 
heavy  heart,  "  I  will  have  to  trust  you ;  "  and  he  came 
out  from  the  shadow  of  the  little  shrine,  and  cast  a  long 
look  up  the  valley. 

"  Now  keep  close  to  my  side,"  said  the  sailor,  "  and 
let  us  be  moving  quickly."  Tinor  and  Fayaway  here 
appeared ;  the  kind-hearted  old  woman  embracing  Toby's 
knees,  and  giving  way  to  a  flood  of  tears ;  while  Faya 
way,  hardly  less  moved,  spoke  some  few  words  of 
English  she  had  learned,  and  held  up  three  fingers 
before  him  —  in  so  many  days  he  would  return. 

At  last  Jimmy  pulled  Toby  out  of  the  crowd,  and 
after  calling  to  a  young  Typee  who  was  standing  by 
with  a  young  pig  in  his  arms,  all  three  started  for  the 
mountains. 

"  I  have  told  them  that  you  are  coming  back  again," 
said  the  old  fellow,  laughing,  as  they  began  the  ascent, 
"but  they'll  have  to  wait  a  long  time."  Toby  turned, 
and  saw  the  natives  all  in  motion  —  the  girls  waving 
their  tappas  in  adieu,  and  the  men  their  spears.  As  the 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  383 

last  figure  entered  the  grove  with  one  arm  raised,  and 
the  three  fingers  spread,  his  heart  smote  him. 

As  the  natives  had  at  last  consented  to  his  going,  it 
might  have  been  that  some  of  them,  at  least,  really 
counted  upon  his  speedy  return,  probably  supposing,  as 
indeed  he  had  told  them  when  they  were  coming  down 
the  valley,  that  his  only  object  in  leaving  them  was  to 
procure  the  medicines  I  needed.  This  Jimmy  also 
must  have  told  them.  And  as  they  had  done  before, 
when  my  comrade,  to  oblige  me,  started  on  his  perilous 
journey  to  Nukuheva,  they  looked  upon  me,  in  his 
absence,  as  one  of  two  inseparable  friends  who  was  a 
sure  guaranty  for  the  other's  return.  This  is  only  my 
own  supposition,  however,  for  as  to  all  their  strange 
conduct,  it  is  still  a  mystery. 

"  You  see  what  sort  of  a  taboo  man  I  am,"  said  the 
sailor,  after  for  some  time  silently  following  the  path 
which  led  up  the  mountain.  "  Mow-Mow  made  me  a 
present  of  this  pig  here,  and  the  man  who  carries  it  will 
go  right  through  Happar,  and  down  into  Nukuheva  with 
us.  So  long  as  he  stays  by  me  he  is  safe,  and  just  so  it 
will  be  with  you,  and  to-morrow  with  Tommo.  Cheei 
up,  then,  and  rely  upon  me,  you  will  see  him  in  the 
morning." 

The  ascent  of  the  mountain  was  not  very  difficult, 
owing  to  its  being  near  to  the  sea,  where  the  island 
ridges  are  comparatively  low ;  the  path,  too,  was  a  fine 
one,  so  that  in  a  short  time  all  three  were  standing  on 
the  summit  with  the  two  valleys  at  their  feet.  The 
white  cascades  marking  the  green  head  of  the  Typee 
valley  first  caught  Toby's  eye ;  Marheyo's  house  could 
easily  be  traced  by  them. 

As  Jimmy  led  the  way  along   the   ridge,  Toby  ob- 


384  TTPEE 

served  that  the  valley  of  the  Happars  did  not  extend 
near  so  far  inland  as  that  of  the  Typees.  This  ac 
counted  for  our  mistake  in  entering  the  latter  valley  as 
we  had. 

The  path  leading  down  from  the  mountain  was  soon 
seen,  and,  following  it,  the  party  were  in  a  short  time 
fairly  in  the  happy  valley. 

"Now,"  said  Jimmy,  as  they  hurried  on,  "  we  taboo 
men  have  wives  in  all  the  bays,  and  I  am  going  to  show 
you  the  two  I  have  here." 

So,  when  they  came  to  the  house  where  he  said  they 
lived,  —  which  was  close  by  the  base  of  the  mountain 
in  a  shady  nook  among  the  groves,  —  he  went  in,  and 
was  quite  furious  at  finding  it  empty  —  the  ladies  had 
gone  out.  However,  they  soon  made  their  appearance, 
and,  to  tell  the  truth,  welcomed  Jimmy  quite  cordially, 
as  well  as  Toby,  about  whom  they  were  very  inquisi 
tive.  Nevertheless,  as  the  report  of  their  arrival  spread, 
and  the  Happars  began  to  assemble,  it  became  evident 
that  the  appearance  of  a  white  stranger  among  them 
was  not  by  any  means  deemed  so  wonderful  an  event 
as  in  the  neighbouring  valley. 

The  old  sailor  now  bade  his  wives  prepare  something 
to  eat,  as  he  must  be  in  Nukuheva  before  dark.  A  meal 
of  fish,  bread-fruit,  and  bananas  was  accordingly  served 
up,  the  party  regaling  themselves  on  the  mats,  in  the 
midst  of  a  numerous  company. 

The  Happars  put  many  questions  to  Jimmy  about 
Toby;  and  Toby  himself  looked  sharply  at  them, 
anxious  to  recognise  the  fellow  who  gave  him  the 
wound  from  which  he  was  still  suffering.  But  this 
fiery  gentleman,  so  handy  with  his  spear,  had  the  deli 
cacy,  it  seemed,  to  keep  out  of  view.  Certainly  the 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  385 

sight  of  him  would  not  have  been  any  added  induce 
ment  to  making  a  stay  in  the  valley,  —  some  of  the 
afternoon  loungers  in  Happar  having  politely  urged 
Toby  to  spend  a  few  days  with  them,  —  there  was  a 
feast  coming  on.  He,  however,  declined. 

Ail  this  while  the  young  Typee  stuck  to  Jimmy  like 
his  shadow,  and  though  as  lively  a  dog  as  any  of  his 
tribe,  he  was  now  as  meek  as  a  lamb,  never  opening  his 
mouth  except  to  eat.  Although  some  of  the  Happars 
looked  queerly  at  him,  others  were  more  civil,  and 
seemed  desirous  of  taking  him  abroad  and  showing  him 
the  valley.  But  the  Typee  was  not  to  be  cajoled  in 
that  way.  How  many  yards  he  would  have  to  remove 
from  Jimmy  before  the  taboo  would  be  powerless,  it 
would  be  hard  to  tell,  but  probably  he  himself  knew  to 
a  fraction. 

On  the  promise  of  a  red  cotton  handkerchief,  and 
something  else  which  he  kept  secret,  this  poor  fellow 
had  undertaken  a  rather  ticklish  journey,  though,  as  far 
as  Toby  could  ascertain,  it  was  something  that  had  never 
happened  before. 

The  island-punch  —  arva  —  was  brought  in  at  the  con 
clusion  of  the  repast,  and  passed  round  in  a  shallow 
calabash. 

Now  my  comrade,  while  seated  in  the  Happar  house, 
began  to  feel  more  troubled  than  ever  at  leaving  me  : 
indeed,  so  sad  did  he  feel  that  he  talked  about  going 
back  to  the  valley,  and  wanted  Jimmy  to  escort  him  as 
far  as  the  mountains.  But  the  sailor  would  not  listen 
to  him,  and,  by  way  of  diverting  his  thoughts,  pressed 
him  to  drink  of  the  arva.  Knowing  its  narcotic  nature, 
he  refused ;  but  Jimmy  said  he  would  have  something 
mixed  with  it,  which  would  convert  it  into  an  innocent 


886  TYPES 

beverage  that  would  inspirit  them  for  the  rest  of  their 
journey.  So  at  last  he  was  induced  to  drink  of  it,  and 
its  effects  were  just  as  the  sailor  had  predicted  ;  his 
spirits  rose  at  once,  and  all  his  gloomy  thoughts  left 
him. 

The  old  rover  now  began  to  reveal  his  true  character, 
though  he  was  hardly  suspected  at  the  time.  "  If  I  get 
you  off  to  a  ship,"  said  he  "  you  will  surely  give  a  poor 
fellow  something  for  saving  you."  In  short,  before  they 
left  the  house,  he  made  Toby  promise  that  he  would 
give  him  five  Spanish  dollars  if  he  succeeded  in  getting 
any  part  of  his  wages  advanced  from  the  vessel,  aboard 
of  which  they  were  going ;  Toby,  moreover,  engaging  to 
reward  him  still  further,  as  soon  as  my  deliverance  was 
accomplished. 

A  little  while  after  this  they  started  again,  accom 
panied  by  many  of  the  natives,  and  going  up  the  valley, 
took  a  steep  path  near  its  head,  which  led  to  Nuku- 
heva.  Here  the  Happars  paused,  and  watched  them  as 
they  ascended  the  mountain,  one  group  of  bandit-look 
ing  fellows,  shaking  their  spears  and  casting  threatening 
glances  at  the  poor  Typee,  whose  heart  as  well  as  heels 
seemed  much  the  lighter  when  he  came  to  look  down 
upon  them. 

On  gaining  the  heights  once  more,  their  way  led  for 
a  time  along  several  ridges  covered  with  enormous 
ferns.  At  last  they  entered  upon  a  wooded  tract,  and 
here  they  overtook  a  party  of  Nukuheva  natives,  well 
armed,  and  carrying  bundles  of  long  poles.  Jimmy 
seemed  to  know  them  all  very  well,  and  stopped  for  a 
while,  and  had  a  talk  about  the  "Wee-Wees,"  as  the 
people  of  Nukuheva  call  the  Monsieurs. 

The  party  with  the  poles  were  King  Mowanna's  men, 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  887 

and  by  his  orders  they  had  been  gathering  them  in  the 
ravines  for  his  allies  the  French. 

Leaving  these  fellows  to  trudge  on  with  their  loads, 
Toby  and  his  companions  now  pusned  forward  again, 
as  the  sun  was  already  low  in  the  west.  They  came 
upon  the  valleys  of  Nukuheva  on  one  side  of  the  bay, 
where  the  highlands  slope  off  into  the  sea.  The  men- 
of-war  were  still  lying  in  the  harbour,  and  as  Toby 
looked  down  upon  them,  the  strange  events  which  had 
happened  so  recently  seemed  all  a  dream. 

They  soon  descended  towards  the  beach,  and  found 
themselves  in  Jimmy's  house  before  it  was  well  dark. 
Here  he  received  another  welcome  from  his  Nukuheva 
wives,  and  after  some  refreshments  in  the  shape  of 
cocoa-nut  milk  and  poee-poee,  they  entered  a  canoe  (the 
Typee,  of  course,  going  along)  and  paddled  off  to  a 
whale  ship  which  was  anchored  near  the  shore.  This 
was  the  vessel  in  want  of  men.  Our  own  had  sailed 
some  time  before.  The  captain  professed  great  pleasure 
at  seeing  Toby,  but  thought,  from  his  exhausted  ap 
pearance,  that  he  must  be  unfit  for  duty.  However,  he 
agreed  to  ship  him,  as  well  as  his  comrade,  as  soon  as 
he  should  arrive. 

Toby  begged  hard  for  an  armed  boat,  in  which  to  go 
round  to  Typee  and  rescue  me,  notwithstanding  the 
promises  of  Jimmy.  But  this  the  captain  would  not 
hear  of,  and  told  him  to  have  patience,  for  the  sailor 
would  be  faithful  to  his  word.  When,  too,  he  de 
manded  the  five  silver  dollars  for  Jimmy,  the  captain 
was  unwilling  to  give  them.  But  Toby  insisted  upon 
it,  as  he  now  began  to  think  that  Jimmy  might  be  a 
mere  mercenary,  who  would  be  sure  to  prove  faithless 
if  not  well  paid.  Accordingly  he  not  only  gave  him 


388  TTPEE 

the  money,  but  took  care  to  assure  him,  over  and  over 
again,  that  as  soon  as  he  brought  me  aboard  he  would 
receive  a  still  larger  sum. 

Before  sun-rise  the  next  day,  Jimmy  and  the  Typee 
started  in  two  of  the  ship's  boats,  which  were  manned 
by  tabooed  natives.  Toby,  of  course,  was  all  eagerness 
to  go  along,  but  the  sailor  told  him  that  if  he  did,  it 
would  spoil  all ;  so,  hard  as  it  was,  he  was  obliged  to 
remain. 

Towards  evening  he  was  on  the  watch,  and  descried 
the  boats  turning  the  headland  and  entering  the  bay. 
He  strained  his  eyes,  and  thought  he  saw  me;  but  I 
was  not  there.  Descending  from  the  mast  almost  dis 
tracted,  he  grappled  Jimmy  as  he  struck  the  deck, 
shouting  in  a  voice  that  startled  him,  "  Where  is  Tom- 
mo?"  The  old  fellow  faltered,  but  soon  recovering, 
did  all  he  could  to  soothe  him,  assuring  him  that  it  had 
proved  to  be  impossible  to  get  me  down  to  the  shore 
that  morning;  assigning  many  plausible  reasons,  and 
adding  that  early  on  the  morrow  he  was  going  to  visit 
the  bay  again  in  a  French  boat,  when,  if  he  did  not  find 
me  on  the  beach  —  as  this  time  he  certainly  expected 
to  —  he  would  march  right  back  into  the  valley,  and 
carry  me  away  at  all  hazards.  He,  however,  again 
refused  to  allow  Toby  to  accompany  him. 

Now,  situated  as  Toby  was,  his  sole  dependence  for 
the  present  was  upon  this  Jimmy,  and  therefore  he  was 
fain  to  comfort  himself  as  well  as  he  could  with  what 
the  old  sailor  had  told  him. 

The  next  morning,  however,  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  French  boat  start  with  Jimmy  in  it.  To 
night,  then,  I  will  see  him,  thought  Toby;  but  many 
a  long  day  passed  before  he  ever  saw  Tommo  again. 


THE  STORY  OF  TOBY  389 

Hardly  was  the  boat  out  of  sight,  when  the  captain 
came  forward  and  ordered  the  anchor  to  be  weighed; 
he  was  going  to  sea. 

Vain  were  all  Toby's  ravings,  —  they  were  disre 
garded;  and  when  he  came  to  himself  the  sails  were 
set,  and  the  ship  fast  leaving  the  land. 

.  .  .  "Oh!"  said  he  to  me  at  our  meeting,  "what 
sleepless  nights  were  mine.  Often  I  started  from  my 
hammock,  dreaming  you  were  before  me,  and  upbraiding 
me  for  leaving  you  on  the  island." 

There  is  little  more  to  be  related.  Toby  left  this 
vessel  at  New  Zealand,  and  after  some  further  adven 
tures,  arrived  home  in  less  than  two  years  after  leaving 
the  Marquesas.  He  always  thought  of  me  as  dead  — 
and  I  had  every  reason  to  suppose  that  he  too  was  no 
more ;  but  a  strange  meeting  was  in  store  for  us,  one 
which  made  Toby's  heart  all  the  lighter. 


NOTE. 

The  author  was  more  than  two  years  in  the  South  Seas,  after  escap 
ing  from  the  valley,  as  recounted  in  the  last  chapter.  Some  time  after 
returning  home  the  foregoing  narrative  was  published,  though  it  was 
little  thought  at  the  time  that  this  would  be  the  means  of  revealing 
the  existence  of  Toby,  who  had  long  been  given  up  for  lost.  But  so 
it  proved. 

The  story  of  his  escape  supplies  a  natural  sequel  to  the  adventure, 
and  as  such  it  is  now  added  to  the  volume.  It  was  related  to  the 
author  by  Toby  himself,  not  ten  days  since. 

NEW  YORK,  July,  1846. 


LIBERATORS  AND  HEROES  OF 
SOUTH  AMERICA 

By  MARION  LANSING 

Jacket  in  full  color  by  Paul  Quinn.  Also  illustrated 
from  photographs $3-75 

Some  thirty  years  after  the  American  Colonies  had  gained  their 
independence  from  England,  South  America  began  her  long  and 
bloody  struggle  for  freedom  from  the  yoke  of  Spain.  And  just  as 
the  American  Revolution  gave  us  such  great  names  as  Paul  Re 
vere  and  Samuel  Adams,  so  the  Wars  of  Independence  gave  to 
South  America  the  great  national  heroes  whom  she  honors  today. 

Simon  Bolivar,  often  called  the  "George  Washington  of  South 
America"  was,  of  course,  the  supreme  genius  of  the  Wars  of  Inde 
pendence,  but  there  were  many  others,  of  whom  little  is  known, 
who  played  their  part  no  less  magnificently.  Among  them  are: 
Miranda,  Forerunner  of  Independence;  San  Martin,  Savior  of  the 
South;  Moreno,  Champion  of  Free  Speech;  O'Higgins,  Supreme 
Director  of  Chile;  Santander,  Man  of  Laws;  and  Paez,  The  Man 
on  Horseback. 

.  .  .  "In  this  series  of  sixteen  biographical  sketches,  Marion 
Lansing  tells  the  story  of  the  men  who  made  possible  these  South 
American  countries  of  today.  It  is  a  book  of  substance  and  style. 
It  comprises  a  single  story,  and  a  great  one  it  is,  of  sacrifice,  devo 
tion,  adventure  and  the  highest  courage,  one  to  be  read  and  re 
membered  wherever  freedom  is  prized."  .  .  .  New  Yorf^  Times. 

.  .  .  "These  sixteen  biographies  of  South  American  heroes  are 
the  type  of  literature  that  will  further  Pan  Americanism,  for  a 
knowledge  of  the  history  of  a  people  and  how  it  parallels  our  own 
aids  in  bringing  understanding. 

"Parallels  there  are,  and  described  vividly.  .  .  .  Ragged  troops 
that  suffered  terrors  equal  to  Valley  Forge,  and  battles  as  thrilling 
as  Bunker  Hill.  And  through  it  all  the  same  desire  for  freedom 
from  overseas  tyrants."  .  .  .  Philadelphia  Record. 


My  Jungle  Trails 

BY  A.  HYATT  VERRILL 

Illustrated  from  photographs  and  paintings  by  the  author  and 

Charles  Livingston   Bull         .         .         ...         .    $3.75 

A.  Hyatt  Vcrrill's  knowledge  of  Latin  American  jungles  is 
probably  unexcelled  by  that  of  any  scientist-explorer  in  the 
United  States  today,  writes  Professor  Kirtley  F.  Mather  in 
recommending  MY  JUNGLE  TRAILS  for  THE  SCIENTIFIC  BOOK 
CLUB,  and  he  adds: 

"Mr.  Vcrrill's  talcs  are  far  from  humdrum  and  commonplace.  He  is 
an  expert  raconteur  and  he  has  selected  from  his  rich  store  many 
vivid  experiences  that  hold  the  reader  s  interest  as  surely  as  the  year's 
best  detective  story.  More  than  that,  they  are  a  means  of  insight  into 
the  ways  of  nature  and  man  in  tropical  lowlands,  which  is  far  more 
realistic  than  that  gained  from  the  usual  geographic  or  ethnological 
treatise. 

"Even  the  city-bred  must  sense  the  lure  of  the  jungles  as  he  reads  this 
splendid  collection  of  narratives.  .  .  .  Adventures  of  all  sorts  are  the 
inevitable  by-products  of  the  quests  for  rare  animals  or  plants  or  for 
information  concerning  strange  peoples  beyond  the  frontiers  of  civil 
ization.  Perhaps  it  is  because  Mr.  Verrill  has  sought  something  other 
than  adventure  that  his  narration  rings  so  true." 

MY  JUNGLE  TRAILS  is  based  upon  Mr.  VerrilFs  experiences 
and  adventures  gained  during  nearly  fifty  years  in  which  as 
naturalist,  ethnologist,  author  and  artist  he  has  led  expedi 
tions  into  the  unknown  jungles  of  Darien,  the  "forbidden" 
districts  of  the  Kunas  in  Panama,  and  followed  the  jungle 
creeks  and  trails  of  British  Guiana  and  all  the  other  countries 
of  equatorial  America. 

"As  Mr.  Verrill  looks  back  over  almost  half  a  century,  this  veteran 
wanderer  finds  adventurous  tales  to  tell.  He  has  brought  together 
what  are  frankly  the  most  unusual  things  that  have  happened  to  him 
to  make  a  very  interesting  book.  In  strange  hinterlands  of  Panama 
and  Costa  Rica,  in  Santo  Domingo  and  the  Lesser  Antilles,  and  in 
the  mysterious  fastnesses  of  British  Guiana,  the  author  met  with  in 
cidents  which  were  sometimes  exciting,  sometimes  amusing,  some 
times  puzzling  and  almost  always  unpredictable.  The  result  is  a  va 
riety  which  never  lets  the  reader  down."— New  Yor%  Herald-Tribune. 

Included  in  the  AMERICAN  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION  BOOKLIST 


THIS    BOOK    IS    DUE   ON    THE    LAST    DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


2? 
MAY  S  -  1964 

' 


SEP  6     1962 
SEP  2  7  1962 


241964 


Rfl. 

JUM 10196? 
SET.  y. 


APR  151968 

APR  2  4  REC'D 


Book  Slip-2(Jw-7,'5tHC76ys4)458 


1663U8 

Melville,  H.  PS238U 

Typee.  T8 

1892 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


